Styrolux⁺ and styroflex⁺ ‐ from transparent high impact polystyrene to new thermoplastic elastomers: Syntheses, applications and blends with other styrene based polymers

Styrolux and Styroflex are styrene and butadiene based block copolymers prepared by butyllithium initiated anionic polymerization. Styrolux is a transparent, tough and stiff thermoplastic material for high speed processing. Its specially designed molecular structure allows homogeneous mixing with general purpose polystyrene maintaining the transparency. Styroflex is a newly commercialized product with the mechanical behavior of a thermoplastic elastomer, e.g. low modulus and yield strength, high elongation and excellent recovery. High transparency and thermal stability give the competitive edge over conventional styrene‐butadiene elastomers. Styroflex, Styrolux and general purpose polystyrene form a unit construction system e.g. for transparent film materials and injection molded parts with fine‐tunable hardness and toughness.