Mechanochemical synthesis of inverse vulcanized polymers

Inverse vulcanization, a sustainable platform, can transform sulfur, an industrial by-product, into polymers with broad promising applications such as heavy metal capture, electrochemistry and antimicrobials. However, the process usually requires high temperatures (>= 159 degrees C), and the crosslinkers needed to stabilize the sulfur are therefore limited to high-boiling-point monomers only. Here, we report an alternative route for inverse vulcanization-mechanochemical synthesis, with advantages of mild conditions (room temperature), short reaction time (3 h), high atom economy, less H2S, and broader monomer range. Successful generation of polymers using crosslinkers ranging from aromatic, aliphatic to volatile, including renewable monomers, demonstrates this method is powerful and versatile. Compared with thermal synthesis, the mechanochemically synthesized products show enhanced mercury capture. The resulting polymers show thermal and light induced recycling. The speed, ease, versatility, safety, and green nature of this process offers a more potential future for inverse vulcanization, and enables further unexpected discoveries. Inverse vulcanization is a process that enables to convert sulfur, a by-product of the petroleum industry, into polymers. Here the authors report a synthetic method of inverse vulcanization via mechanochemical synthesis; compared to thermal routes, a broader range of monomers can be used, and the protocol yields materials with enhanced mercury capture capacity.

Automated summary

Inverse vulcanization is a process to convert sulfur into polymers. This study presents a synthetic method of inverse vulcanization via mechanochemical synthesis, which allows for a broader range of monomers and yields materials with enhanced mercury capture capacity.