Styroflex — The properties and applications of a new styrenic thermoplastic elastomer

Styrolux® and Styroflex® are both 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 new experimental 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.