An efficient ring-opening copolymerization of elemental sulfur with various olefinic compounds to produce thermoplastic polymeric sulfur: Synthesis and Characterization

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Petroleum apllications department, Egyptian petroleum Research Institute, Nasr city, EGYPT.

2 Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Taif University

3 Faculty of Science, Benha University

4 Egyptian petroleum research institute

5 Petroleum applications department, Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute, Naser City, Cairo, Egypt.

6 Petroleum applications department, Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute (EPRI), Cairo, Egypt.

7 Petroleum Applications Department, Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt

8 Department of petroleum applications

Abstract

Inverse vulcanization reaction is a copolymerization process that involves the interaction of elemental sulfur with alkenes at high temperatures to yield highly distinctive materials having high percentage content of sulfur. In this study, new polymeric sulfur compounds were synthesized via inverse vulcanization reaction in which elemental sulfur interacts with two different types of materials including thermoplastic polymers like amorphous Poly Alfa-Olefin (APAO) copolymer, and Ethylene-vinyl-acetate copolymer (EVA), while the second kind was thermoplastic rubber like styrene-butadiene-styrene copolymer (SBS), and rubber waste from MAC Carpet. The reaction occurred at 180 oC in the presence of bitumen as dissolving media. The polymeric sulfur products were chemically characterized by FTIR and XRD. Changes in the morphology of surfaces were examined by SEM. Thermal stability was also examined through DSC and TGA. Finally, dynamic mechanical properties were investigated using DMA. The result approved that all prepared polymeric sulfur have high stiffness, and the polymeric sulfur based on alfa olefin, and SBS have higher storage modulus than EVA, and Mac waste materials. Also, glass transition temperatures Tg of prepared polymerics sulfur were around 58 °C to 63 °C that confirms their high thermal resistance. Consequently selected synthesized materials succeeded as good elasticators for sulfur polymerization.

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Egyptian Journal of Chemistry
Volume 66, Issue 13 - Serial Number 13
Special Issue: Applied Chemistry for Greener Life and Sustainability
December 2023
Pages 1967-1976

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History

  • Receive Date: 11 July 2023
  • Revise Date: 09 August 2023
  • Accept Date: 15 August 2023

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