Synthesis and Applications of Polymers Made by Inverse Vulcanization
Elemental sulfur is an abundant and inexpensive chemical feedstock, yet it is underused as a starting material in chemical synthesis. Recently, a process coined inverse vulcanization was introduced in which elemental sulfur is converted into polymers by ring-opening polymerization, followed by cross...
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Published in | Topics in current chemistry (2016) Vol. 377; no. 3; p. 16 |
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Main Authors | , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Cham
Springer International Publishing
01.06.2019
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Elemental sulfur is an abundant and inexpensive chemical feedstock, yet it is underused as a starting material in chemical synthesis. Recently, a process coined inverse vulcanization was introduced in which elemental sulfur is converted into polymers by ring-opening polymerization, followed by cross-linking with an unsaturated organic molecule such as a polyene. The resulting materials have high sulfur content (typically 50–90% sulfur by mass) and display a range of interesting properties such as dynamic S–S bonds, redox activity, high refractive indices, mid-wave IR transparency, and heavy metal affinity. These properties have led to a swell of applications of these polymers in repairable materials, energy generation and storage, optical devices, and environmental remediation. This article will discuss the synthesis of polymers by inverse vulcanization and review case studies on their diverse applications. An outlook is also presented to discuss future opportunities and challenges for further advancement of polymers made by inverse vulcanization. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-3 content type line 23 ObjectType-Review-1 |
ISSN: | 2365-0869 2364-8961 |
DOI: | 10.1007/s41061-019-0242-7 |