Polystyrene, PS for short, is a colorless and transparent thermoplastic. It has as high as 100 degree centigrade glass transition temperature; therefore, it is usually used to produce all kinds of disposable containers who need to bear boiled water and disposable foam tableware.

 
 
Classification
PS includes ordinary polystyrene, expanded polystyrene (EPS), high impact polystyrene (HIPS), and syndiotactic polystyrene (SPS). Ordinary PS resin is non-toxic, odorless and colorless transparent particle.  Products made from PS have high transparency and electrical insulation. It is easy to get colored; it has great rigid resistance and good chemical erosion resistance. Ordinary PS’s disadvantages lie in its crisp property and low impact strength.

Chemical properties
PS is a kind of thermoplastic resin, it is widely used for its low cost and easy machine-shaping. Disposable tableware, automobile components, package material, tools, construction materials, electric appliance and other daily life household objects are all made of PS resin.



Application

PS is easy to process and shape by machine, and has the merits of transparent, cheap, rigidity, insulation, easy printing and so on. It is widely used in light industry market, daily life decoration, and packaging. It is also frequently used to manufacture expanded foam products. Disposable plastic tableware, construction materials and heat insulator are typical examples of PS application.