Thermoplastic Elastomers Based on High-Impact Polystyrene/Waste Styrene Butadiene Rubber Powder Blends Enhanced by Styrene–Butadiene–Styrene Block Copolymer and Aromatic Oil

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Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) based on high-impact polystyrene (HIPS)/waste styrene–butadiene rubber powder (WSBRP) blends were prepared by melt-compounding; they were enhanced by incorporation of styrene–butadiene–styrene block copolymer (SBS) and aromatic oil (AO). The effects of SBS and AO dosage on the mechanical properties, Mullins effect and morphological properties of the blends were investigated. Experimental results showed that the incorporation of SBS and AO in the HIPS/WSBRP blends could improve the mechanical properties significantly. Compared with that of HIPS/WSBRP blends, the elongation at break had a maximum value with 9 phr SBS and 15 phr AO loading, being improved by about 220%. The Mullins effect results showed that a softening effect appeared obviously after the first loading–unloading cycle, while the residual deformation and internal friction loss of the HIPS/SBS/AO/WSBRP TPEs were much lower than those of the HIPS/WSBRP blends, indicating the improvement of elasticity.