Polystyrene Glasses under Compression: Ductile and Brittle Behavior

Abstract

Polystyrene of different molecular weights and their binary mixtures are studied in terms of their various mechanical responses to uniaxial compression at different temperatures. PS of Mw = 25 kg/mol is completely brittle until it is above its glass transition temperature Tg. In contrast, upon incorporation of a high molecular weight component, PS mixtures turn from barely ductile a few degrees below its Tg to ductile over 40° below Tg. In the upper limit, a PS of Mw = 319 kg/mol yields and undergoes plastic flow, even at T = −70 °C. The observed dependence of mechanical responses on molecular weight and molecular weight distribution can be adequately rationalized by the idea that yielding and plastic compression are caused by chain networking.