Heterogeneous bulk polymerization of styrene in the presence of polybutadiene: Calculation of the macromolecular structure

A mathematical model is presented that simulates the polymerization of styrene in the presence of polybutadiene (PB) for producing high‐impact polystyrene (HIPS) via the heterogeneous bulk process. The model follows the polymerization in two phases; and calculates in each phase the main reaction variables and the molecular structure of the three polymeric components: free polystyrene (PS), unreacted PB, and graft copolymer. Two polymerizations (at 90 and 120°C) were carried out and simulated. The model was validated with measurements of the monomer conversion, the grafting efficiencies, and the average molecular weights. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 3023–3039, 2006