Elemental Sulfur-Based Polymeric Materials: Synthesis and Characterization

Abstract

New elemental sulfur-based polymeric materials called poly(sulfur-random-divinylbenzene) [poly(S-r-DVB)] were synthesized by ring opening polymerization via inverse vulcanization technique in the presence of a mixture of o-, m-, and p-diviniylbenzene (DVB) as a cross-linker. A clear yellow/orange colored liquid was obtained from the elemental sulfur melted at 160 degrees C and then by adding various amounts of DVB to this liquid directly via a syringe at 200 degrees C viscous reddish brown polymeric materials were obtained. The copolymers are soluble in common solvents like tetrahydrofuran, dichloromethane, and chloroform, and they can be coated on any surface as a thin film by a spray coating technique. The characterization of the materials was performed by using nuclear magnetic resonance, fourier transform infrared, and Raman spectroscopies. The morphological properties were monitored via scanning electron microscope technique. Thermal analysis showed that an increase in the amount of DVB in the copolymers resulted in an increase in the thermal decomposition temperature. On the other hand, poly(S-r-DVB) copolymers exhibited good percent transmittance as 50% T between 1500 and 13,000 nm in electromagnetic radiation spectrum, which makes them good candidates to be amenable use in military and surveillance cameras. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43655.