REACTIVE EXTRUSION OF STYRENE POLYMERS

The term reactive extrusion characterizes a plastics processing method in which an extruder is utilized for a continuous polymer synthesis a nd modification. In this contribution, the production of polystyrene a nd styrene-isoprene copolymers is described in a co-rotating, closely intermeshing twin-screw extruder The results of process analysis show that the living polymerization of styrene can be conducted in spite of high reaction temperatures of 200-degrees-C in a screw reactor Proces sing variants are homopolymers of styrene, copolymers of styrene-isopr ene blends and sequential polymerization of styrene and isoprene; depe nding on raw material, formulation and process parameters, this result s in styrene polymers of quite different structural characteristics an d final properties.