Polystyrene (PS) is a plastic resin produced by polymerizing styrene monomers made from crude oil and naphtha. Polystyrene (PS) is one of the plastic resins used for medical plastics, and is a plastic material that is often used in commodity like polyethylene (PE) because of its low cost and high processability.
General polystyrene (PS) has characteristics of light weight, high rigidity, and low specific gravity. It is the third lightest plastic raw material among plastic resins as the specific gravity of polypropylene (PP) is 0.9 to 0.91 g / cm2, the specific gravity of polyethylene (PE) is 0.94 g / cm2 and the specific gravity of polystyrene (PS) is 1.04 to 1.7 g / cm2.
Polystyrene (PS) has a high electrical insulation and a low dielectric constant, so it does not conduct electricity. It is also used in food containers because it is tasteless and odorless. It is divided into three from the aspect of characteristics. In addition to general polystyrene (PS), impact-resistant polystyrene (HIPS) which is made by compounding rubber with polystyrene to greatly enhance impact resistance, and polystyrene (styrene foam) made by foam molding which is lightweight and heat-insulating expanded.