Yolanda Lu
Mr. Eifert
Science 6
24 September 2017
Expanded Polystyrene
Polystyrene is one of the most widely used synthetic polymers in the world. Expanded Polystyrene was first put to the market by the Dow Company, they renamed this Styrofoam. Expanded Polystyrene has many uses: construction, keep products cool, Panels. Expanded Polystyrene also has lots of advantages: it is easy to handle with when constructing, it is available in different ranges of thicknesses width and lengths, its freeze-thaw resistance, it has good pending pressure, and it's easier to cut than most plastics. In some places, Expanded Polystyrene is mostly known as Styrofoam instead of Expanded Polystyrene. Styrofoam has cells that are not interconnected, which is good…show more content… That is why it can be used as fast food containers. Expanded Polystyrene is made from Polystyrene and Polystyrene is made of Styrene. Styrene is first made by mixing Ethylene and Benzene, which both are naturally occurring materials that can be made by human activities. Benzene occurs naturally in volcanos, forest fires. Ethylene cannot be seen or smelt but can be found when as a fruit ripens. Styrene is made when Ethylene and Benzene molecules bond together, and the hydrogen is taken out. When the Styrene molecules link together, it becomes Polystyrene. Then, the polystyrene beads have to be heated to expand. This process is called pre-expansion. The polystyrene beads can be pre-expanded by either with steam or hot air. During this, a pole is used to keep the beads from blending (mixing) together. Since expanded beads are lighter than unexpanded beads, they are forced to the top of the tube and discharged. Next, the beads sit for 24 hours so that the air can cool and harden them. After that, the beads are then put into a container that is used to give shape to the beads. Low-pressure steam is then injected between the beads expanding and blending them again. After the mold has cooled, water is sprayed on the…show more content… How do these properties help your synthetic material fill a need? Expanded Polystyrene has less density than Ethylene and Benzene. It is lighter than most packaging polymers, which is good for when you are carrying something very heavy. Styrofoam is also cheap, it saves businesses lots of money. One of the best things about Styrofoam is that it absorbs shock, if it drops, the object inside will not break. One of the differences are that Ethylene and Benzene are liquids and Styrofoam is a solid. Styrofoam is stronger than Ethylene and Benzene. It is like packaging your object with pillows that are strong enough to hold it, is cheap, is a good insulator, and is