Tailoring Polysulfide Properties through Variations of Inverse Vulcanization

Inverse vulcanization combines elemental sulfur, a petroleum waste product, and organic monomers to synthesize high sulfur content polysulfides without the need for solvents. The low cost, synthetic ease, and diverse applications have led to the rapid growth of the field. Despite the novelty of inverse vulcanization, many alterations to the synthetic techniques have been introduced. A literature search revealed four primary methodologies that are being used under the umbrella of inverse vulcanization which were used to synthesize poly(S-DVB). Alterations to polymer structure, solubility, and hydrogen sulfide production were characterized. Despite seemingly minor synthetic changes, dramatic impacts on the polymer properties were observed. Analysis of the oxidized polymers by ATR-IR spectroscopy yielded insight into the sulfur rank for these polysulfides. The reported fundamental data provide a guide to determine and control the specific polymer makeup to tailor the material properties for a given application.