Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is a commonly used polymer in the packaging industry and for the thermal insulation of buildings. It has poor mechanical properties, which limit its application in some areas. A heat treatment was carried out on a sample of EPS, in order to improve its mechanical properties. The treatment consists of operations that combine the heating and cooling of the material. It is executed to improve the characteristics of the treated polymer and make it more favorable for use in new applications. In the case of EPS, this process changes the behavior of the polymer in a beneficial manner and maximizes its density and hardness. Indeed, the treated version shows interesting mechanical, tribological, and hygroscopic properties. This improvement was obtained mainly due to the morphological modification of the structure of EPS. Indeed, heat treatment leads to the creation of a polystyrene crust, which covers every EPS bead. This crust protects the cell structure of each bead against stretching and supports most of the load applied to the treated version of EPS. Thus, the treated EPS can be used not only for packaging and thermal insulation but also for more structural applications.

中文翻译：

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热处理对发泡聚苯乙烯性能的影响

膨胀聚苯乙烯（EPS）是包装行业和建筑物隔热的常用聚合物。它的机械性能很差，限制了它在某些领域的应用。为了改善其机械性能，对EPS样品进行了热处理。处理包括将材料的加热和冷却结合在一起的操作。它被执行以改善处理过的聚合物的特性，并使其更适合用于新的应用。在EPS的情况下，该过程以有利的方式改变了聚合物的行为，并使聚合物的密度和硬度最大化。实际上，处理后的版本显示出有趣的机械，摩擦学和吸湿性。获得这种改善的主要原因是EPS结构的形态发生了改变。确实，热处理导致形成聚苯乙烯结皮，该结皮覆盖了每个EPS珠。这种外壳保护每个珠子的细胞结构免受拉伸，并支撑施加到处理过的EPS上的大部分载荷。因此，处理后的EPS不仅可以用于包装和隔热，而且可以用于更多的结构应用。