Insulating Composites Made from Sulfur, Canola Oil, and Wool**

Abstract

An insulating composite was made from the sustainable building blocks wool, sulfur, and canola oil. In the first stage of the synthesis, inverse vulcanization was used to make a polysulfide polymer from the canola oil triglyceride and sulfur. This polymerization benefits from complete atom economy. In the second stage, the powdered polymer is mixed with wool, coating the fibers through electrostatic attraction. The polymer and wool mixture is then compressed with mild heating to provoke S--S metathesis in the polymer, which locks the wool in the polymer matrix. The wool fibers impart tensile strength, insulating properties, and flame resistance to the composite. All building blocks are sustainable or derived from waste and the composite is a promising lead on next--generation insulation for energy conservation.

Segmented Polyurethanes and Thermoplastic Elastomers from Elemental Sulfur with Enhanced Thermomechanical Properties and Flame Retardancy

“…[49,50] Ar elated example was recently reported by Bu Najmah et al with as ulfur,c anola oil, wool polymeric composite material, where the thermomechanical reinforcement of the wool phase imparted flame resistance to the otherwise flammable sulfur copolymer. [53] However,t o our knowledge,the segmented SPUs in this report are the first example of an intrinsically flame retardant material of any kind derived from elemental sulfur.…”

Reaction of Sulfur and Sustainable Algae Oil for Polymer Synthesis and Enrichment of Saturated Triglycerides

“…19,[22][23][24][25] This route to sulfur-triglyceride copolymers would be complementary to other approaches such as the copolymerization of sulfur and algae-derived monomers such as triterpene botryococcene. 26 Furthermore, many applications of these polymers in environmental remediation, [8][9][10][11][12][13] energy storage, 17 slow-release fertilizers, 14,15 composite synthesis, 16 and insulation 18 are already established, so establishing another sustainable route to these macromolecules is important. Finally, it was anticipated that any saturated algae oil could be recovered in an enriched form after the reaction with sulfur.…”

“…Therefore, it is appropriate to characterize this species as a composite material, similar to that observed in the reaction of large amounts of sulfur with unsaturated vegetable oils. 8,17 These composites have found diverse applications such as use as cathode materials, 17 mercury sorbents, 8, 9 insulating materials, 18 and slow release fertilsers 14,15 in which both the polymer and the S8 play a role in redox chemistry, mercury Polymer composite formed from the reaction of elemental sulfur with the polyunsaturated triglycerides in the thraustochytrid oil. This material contains both polymer and free elemental sulfur (~50% based on calorimetric analysis).…”

“…The resulting polymer was analogous to related materials made from unsaturated plant oils, which have been used in a wide range of applications including heavy metal remediation, [8][9][10][11] oil spill clean-up, 12 PFAS capture, 13 slow-release fertilisers, 14,15 composite synthesis, 16 cathode materials for Li-S batteries, 17 and thermal insulation. 18 Accessing these materials through a new triglyceride source is therefore important, as it does not require access to plant oils otherwise used for food or those that require significant and detrimental land use. Additionally, the remaining saturated triglycerides that did not react with sulfur could be recovered in a significantly enriched form.…”

Polymers Made by Inverse Vulcanization for Use as Mercury Sorbents

“…32,33 Some degree of control can be exerted by varying these parameters, but general design principles for this class of materials remains an outstanding challenge for the field. 30,32 Nevertheless, the unique chemical and physical properties of these polymers have encouraged increasing evaluation in a variety of applications such as energy storage, 14 infrared optics, [34][35][36] repairable materials, 29,37,38 metal binding, 9,27,39 oil spill cleanup, 40 composite synthesis, [41][42][43][44] slow-release fertilisers, 45,46 adhesives, 29,47 functional coatings, 27,30 thermal insulation, 44,48,49 shapememory materials, 50 precursors to activated carbon, 51 and antimicrobial agents. 52,53 No doubt the functional versatility of these materials will lead to even more applications in the future.…”