Expanded polystyrene

Expanded polystyrene is a lightweight, rigid plastic foam made by expanding and fusing polystyrene beads. Its closed-cell structure traps gas, providing insulation and cushioning.

Polystyrene: A synthetic aromatic polymer made from styrene monomers, used in solid plastics and foams. Expanded polystyrene is formed from polystyrene beads softened and expanded with gas.
Thermal insulation: The reduction of heat transfer through a material or building assembly. Trapped gas in expanded polystyrene cells gives it useful insulating performance.
Extruded polystyrene: A rigid polystyrene foam produced by continuous extrusion, typically with a more uniform cell structure than bead foam. It is a close polystyrene alternative, made by a different process and often chosen for different moisture conditions.
Plastic pollution: The accumulation of plastic materials in environments where they can harm ecosystems or human well-being. Lightweight expanded-polystyrene fragments readily disperse when foam products break apart.
Eduard Simon: A German apothecary who isolated a resinous substance from storax in 1839, later identified as polystyrene. His early observation preceded the development of commercial polystyrene and its foamed forms.
Steam chest molding: A molding process that uses steam to heat and fuse expanded polymer beads in a shaped cavity. Steam softens the beads and joins them into a molded expanded-polystyrene part.
Protective packaging: Packaging designed to limit damage from impact, vibration, compression, or environmental exposure. Molded expanded-polystyrene forms cushion fragile products during storage and transport.
Polyurethane foam: A cellular polymer material formed by reacting polyols with isocyanates in the presence of blowing agents. It can provide insulation or cushioning like expanded polystyrene but has different chemistry and processing.
Microplastics: Small plastic particles, commonly defined as less than five millimeters in size. Weathering and abrasion can break expanded-polystyrene products into persistent small fragments.
Hermann Staudinger: A German chemist who established the macromolecular theory of polymers and received the 1953 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. His account of polymers as long molecular chains helped explain materials such as polystyrene.

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