Abstract
AbstractThe typical process used to synthesize expandable polystyrene was modified and applied to prepare water expandable polystyrene (WEPS)‐starch copolymer. The maleic anhydride was used to improve the compatibility between starch and styrene. Various reaction conditions, weight ratio of styrene/water (O/W ratio), and starch content, were applied to obtain WEPS copolymer beads. Molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, glass transition temperature (Tg), and phase behavior of copolymer were investigated. With the increase of O/W ratio, the water content and molecular weight increased, whereas the molecular weight distribution and Tg of copolymer decreased. Molecular weight distribution and the Tg of the copolymer both increased as a function of starch content. The water content in the beads reached the maximum value at 6 wt % of starch content at same O/W ratio. The domain size of starch increased with the increase of the starch content. The domain size distribution of starch was best at 6 wt % of starch. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
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