Compatibilizing PE-PS blends with ethylene-styrene copolymers. (polyethylene-polystyrene)

Pseudo-random ethylene-styrene copolymers, prepared using a constrained geometry catalyst, showed remarkable efficiency in compatibilizing polethylene-polystyrene blends.

A viable polyethylene-polystyrene blend (PE-PS) would combine the toughness and solvent resistance of polyethylene with the stiffness and thermo-formability of polystyrene. Unfortunately, a simple PE-PS blend does not yield the desired properties, because of the incompatibility of the component polymers,(1) and a compatibilizer is needed. Graft or block copolymers having polystyrene blocks and soft rubber