T.

C
ERCİYES UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

SAN
(Stiren-akrilonitril)

1030117753
BEKİR KALENDER

Department of Mechanical
Engineering
Polymeric Materials
• Styrene acrylonitrile resin is a copolymer plastic consisting of styrene and acrylonitrile. It
is also known as SAN.
• It is widely used in place of polystyrene owing to its greater thermal resistance. The chains
of between 70 and 80% by weight styrene and 20 to 30% acrylonitrile.Larger acrylonitrile
content improves mechanical properties and chemical resistance, but also adds a yellow tint
to the normally transparent plastic.
 SAN
(Stiren-akrilonitril)
 PROPERTİES

• AN is similar in use to polystyrene. Like polystyrene itself, it is optically transparent and

brittle in mechanical behavior.
• The copolymer has a glass transition temperature greater than 100 °C owing to
the acrylonitrile units in the chain, thus making the material resistant to boiling water. 
• It is structurally related to ABS plastic, where polybutadiene is copolymerised with SAN to
give a much tougher material.
• The rubber chains form separate phases which are 10-20 micrometers in diameter. 
• When the product is stressed, crazing from the particles helps to increase the strength of the
polymer. 
• The method of rubber toughening has been used to strengthen other polymers such
as PMMA and nylon.
 AREAS OF USAGE 

• Food containers
• Water bottles
• Kitchenware
• Computer products
• Packaging material
• Battery cases
• Plastic optical fibers
 HEALTH
RİSKS

• The acrylonitrile from SAN containers has been found to migrate to content in variable
amounts.
• Acrylonitrile is classified as a Class 2B carcinogen (possibly carcinogenic) by the
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
• Acrylonitrile has been shown to increase rates of cancer appearance in high dosage tests in
male and female rats and mice.
 REFERENCES

• "Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry". Vol 29. Polystyrene and Styrene

Copolymers. Wiley Online Library. p. 487
• Charles A. Harper, ed., Modern Plastics Handbook, ISBN 0-07-026714-6, 2000.
•  http://www.agriculturejournals.cz/publicFiles/00366.pdf