Role of the rubber particle and polybutadiene cis content on the toughness of high impact polystyrene

High impact polystyrene (HIPS) is a classical reactor polymer blend produced by in situ polymerization of styrene in solution with polybutadiene rubber. The importance of the particle size and rubber crosslink density on the particle cavitation capability and the controlling of toughening mechanisms in the styrenic matrix is well established in current literature. In the present work, the role of the rubber particle on the HIPS toughness has been investigated for two commercial grades with low and high cis polybutadiene. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was employed for observation of particle size distribution and digital imaging applied for quantitative analysis of the micrographs. Measurements of apparent volume fraction and average particle size were determined in TEM images for both grades, while the gel content and swelling index were employed to evaluate the effect of the polybutadiene cis isomer on the rubber crosslink density. Grade morphology and crosslink effects on mechanical properties were assessed by slow three-point bending and uniaxial tensile testing. The results illustrate that polybutadiene cis content in HIPS grades has strong influence on the mechanical properties, particularly affecting yielding and energy to failure. Accordingly, it was observed that HIPS grades with equivalent average particle size and apparent volume fractions present a much higher energy to failure and a lower yield stress with high cis content polybutadiene when compared to their lower cis polybutadiene counterparts.