Recent Developments in High Sulfur-Content Polymers

Abstract

Abstract:
Synthetic polymers are one of the most widely used materials, and there is a growing
demand to produce new polymers that are more environmentally friendly. Despite the fact
that sulfur, a petroleum by-product, is viewed in polymers' manufacture as a potential
replacement for carbon, it cannot form a stable polymer alone. But it responds to combining
sulfur polymers with organic crosslinking molecules in a process known as "inverse
vulcanization," involving high temperatures and extended reaction periods, so that they are
stable and resist decomposition. We will highlight recent advances in sulfur (S8)
polymerization for the production of high sulfur polymers, as well as future prospects.
Although homo polymerization of S8 has been known for a long period of time, this kind of
polymeric sulfur is chemically unstable and reverts to its original state. In this article, we
shall explore the history of sulfur production as well as the limitations of using sulfur as a
chemical reagent in the synthesis of novel materials and composites. S8 was pioneered as a
reaction medium and co-monomer in inverse vulcanization in order to develop chemically
stable and process able sulfur copolymers that were also combustible.