Melt rheology and morphology of binary and ternary PS/HIPS blends for blown film extrusion applications

Rheology is an important tool for evaluating the potential application of a specific material in the production of blow molding films. In the present study, binary and ternary blends based on two different grades of polystyrene (PS) and high impact polystyrene (HIPS) were prepared by melt mixing in a twin screw extruder, using a simplex-centroid mixture design. Rheological analysis was performed based on elongational and dynamic rheology tests combined with scanning electron microscopy. Based on the rheology tests performed, the PS1/HIPS (50:50 wt.%) binary blend is a promising candidate for use in blow molding film applications.