Inverse Vulcanization of Activated Norbornenyl Esters-A Versatile Platform for Functional Sulfur Polymers

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Elemental sulfur is a promising feedstock for high-sulfur polymers.
• Inverse vulcanization is limited by comonomer availability and reaction conditions.
• Controlling inverse vulcanized polymer properties is challenging due to dynamic sulfur bonds and high reaction temperatures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report the inverse vulcanization of norbornenyl pentafluorophenyl ester (NB-PFPE) for the first time.
• To enable post-modification of inverse vulcanized polymers under mild conditions.
• To showcase the versatility of poly(sulfur-random-NB-PFPE) as a platform for novel sulfur-containing materials.

Main Methods:

• Inverse vulcanization of NB-PFPE.
• Post-polymerization modification via amidation with functional primary amines.
• Characterization of resulting sulfur-containing polymers and their applications.

Main Results:

• Successful inverse vulcanization of NB-PFPE yielding high sulfur content polymers under mild conditions.
• Demonstrated post-modification using α-amino-ω-methoxy polyethylene glycol, aminopropyl trimethoxy silane, and allylamine.
• Achieved applications including sulfur-containing nanoparticles, mercury adsorbents, sulfur surface coatings, and networks with predictable thermal properties.

Conclusions:

• The inverse vulcanization of NB-PFPE provides a versatile platform for creating novel sulfur-containing materials.
• Post-modification via amidation allows for tailored material properties and diverse applications.
• This approach overcomes limitations of traditional inverse vulcanization, expanding the scope of sulfur-based polymer development.