This report details how sequential crosslinking processes can be applied to develop properties in sulfur-bisphenol A composites. Olefinic carbons were first crosslinked by inverse vulcanization (InV) at 180 C and then aryl carbon crosslinking was affected via radical-induced aryl halide-sulfur polymerization (RASP) at 220 C. To demonstrate that these two crosslinking mechanisms are orthogonal and can be used to affect stepwise property changes, O,O 0-diallyl-2,2 0 ,5,5 0-tetrabromobisphenol A was selected as a comonomer. After InV of the monomer with 90 wt% sulfur, a flexible plastic material having an elongation at break of 89% was obtained, whereas after heating this premade polymer to initiate RASP, the polymer develops a threefold increase in its tensile strength and has an elongation at break of only 29%. The sequential crosslinking strategy demonstrated herein thus provides an innovative approach to tuning the properties of high sulfur-content materials.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.