| Abstract: | A preliminary study on the efficiency of styrene-siloxane block and graft copolymer as toughening additives for polystyrene has been made. Block and graft copolymers of required molecular weight were synthesized for making compatible blends with polystyrene. Compatibility of these systems was evaluated through differential scanning calorimetry, thermo-mechanical analysis, rheovibron studies, and scanning electron microscopy. A good miscibility of block and graft copolymers was confirmed by these methods. Higher work of rupture in these blended polystyrene samples further demonstrates the feasibility of styrene-siloxane block and graft copolymers as good toughening material for a brittle polystyrene matrix. The mechanical properties have been related to the morphology and the amount of siloxane content in the blended polystyrene. |
