Vibrational spectroscopy was performed to investigate the chemical structure of the copolymers, and the presence of the C-S bonds was detected through Infrared or Raman spectroscopies. The high amount of S-S bonds makes the copolymer highly IR-inactive in the near and mid-infrared spectrum. As a consequence, sulfur-rich materials made via inverse vulcanization are characterized by a high refractive index (n~1.8), whose value depends again upon the composition and crosslinking species. As shown by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), the copolymer thermal stability increases with the amount of added crosslinker; however, all the tested compositions degrade above 222 °C.
The sulfur-rich copolymers made via inverse vulcanization could in principle find diverse applications due to their simple synthesis process and thermoplasticity.
In order to overcome the disadvantages related to the materials' low electrical conductivity (1015–1016 Ω·cm), researchers have started to add special carbon-based particles to increase electron transport inside the copolymer. Furthermore, such carbonaceous additives improve the polysulfides' retention at the cathode through the polysulfides-capturing effect, increasing the battery performances. Examples of employed nanostructures are long carbon nanotubes, graphene, and carbon onions.
The new materials could be used to remove toxic metals from soil or water. Pure sulfur cannot be employed to manufacture a functional filter because of its low mechanical properties; therefore, inverse vulcanization was investigated to produce porous materials, in particular for the mercury capturing process. The liquid metal binds together with the sulfur-rich copolymer, remaining mostly inside the filter.
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