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Updated: Aug 23, 2025

Synthesis of Terpolymers at Mild Temperatures Using Dynamic Sulfur Bonds in PolyS-Divinylbenzene

Synthesis of Terpolymers at Mild Temperatures Using Dynamic Sulfur Bonds in PolyS-Divinylbenzene

Published on: May 20, 2019

Photoinduced inverse vulcanization.

Jinhong Jia¹, Jingjiang Liu¹, Zhi-Qiang Wang²

¹College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Gansu International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Water-Retention Chemical Functional Materials, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, P. R. China.

Nature Chemistry

|October 27, 2022

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Photoinduced inverse vulcanization (IV) allows polymer synthesis at room temperature using gaseous materials. This sustainable method broadens IV applications and creates high-molecular-weight polymers with high atom economy.

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Area of Science:

Polymer Chemistry
Materials Science
Sustainable Chemistry

Background:

Inverse vulcanization (IV) of elemental sulfur produces sulfur-rich polymers.
Current IV methods require harsh conditions, limiting crosslinker options.
There is a need for milder, more versatile IV processes.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a photoinduced inverse vulcanization (IV) method.
To enable IV reactions at ambient temperatures.
To expand the range of accessible substrates and polymer products.

Main Methods:

Utilized photoirradiation to initiate inverse vulcanization.
Employed density functional theory (DFT) calculations to study reaction mechanisms.
Investigated the use of volatile and gaseous alkenes and alkynes as crosslinkers.

Main Results:

Achieved inverse vulcanization at ambient temperatures.
Successfully incorporated volatile and gaseous substrates into polymers.
Produced high-molecular-weight polymers (up to 460,000 g/mol) with nearly 100% atom economy.
Eliminated H2S by-products and reduced curing times.

Conclusions:

Photoinduced IV offers a sustainable and efficient alternative to traditional methods.
This approach significantly broadens the scope of inverse vulcanization.
The method holds potential for industrial applications using waste feedstocks.