Sulfur copolymers

Sulfur concrete Sulfur copolymers Sulfur cures Sulfur cure system Sulfur dichloride... 

The initial sulfur copolymer that is formed is often high conversion and gelled. Molecular weight is reduced to the required level by cleaving some of the polysulfide Linkages, usually with tetraethylthiuram disulfide. An alkaU metal or ammonium salt (30) of the dithiocarbamate, an alkaU metal salt of mercaptobensothiasole (31), and a secondary amine (32) have all been used as catalysts. The peptization reaction results in reactive chain ends. Polymer peptized with diphenyl tetrasulfide was reported to have improved viscosity stabiUty (33). 

The process for manufacture of a chloroprene sulfur copolymer, Du Pont type GN, illustrates the principles of the batch process (77,78). In this case, sulfur is used to control polymer molecular weight. The copolymer formed initially is carried to fairly high conversion, gelled, and must be treated with a peptising agent to provide a final product of the proper viscosity. Key control parameters are the temperature of polymerisation, the conversion of monomer and the amount/type of modifier used. 

These sulfurized copolymers are unreported in the patent literature. Injection-molded articles... 

Small amounts of phosphorous can be used to vulcanize polymeric sulfur. Larger amounts yield the P4S4 bird-cage molecules mentioned in Section 6.2 on Other Phosphorous-Containing Polymers in Chapter 6, together with phosphorous-sulfur copolymers. The copolymers are hydrolytically unstable.56... 

Manufacture of Chloroprene-Sulfur Copolymer. The process for manufacture of a chloroprene-sulfur copolymer taken from the patent literature will illustrate the batch process (82,83). 

Xanthogen disulfide modification has been used in the manufactin-e of all dry and latex types including chloroprene-sulfur copolymers. The chain-transfer agents have heen used in comhination with all conventional comonomers. In contrast to dodecylmercaptan modifiers, xanthogen disulfide modification has the advantage that it can be used with chloroprene-sulfur copolymerizations without concerns with reaction with sulfiir. 

Sulfur is occasionally added to polychloroprene latexes to achieve a higher state of cure. Added sulfur is not effective for chloroprene-sulfur copolymer latexes. Films containing 1-phr sulfur darken considerably upon curing. Retention of elasticity of such films decreases further on continued exposure to heat. 

Table 3 Dependence of the equilibrium concentrations of norbomene trisulfide (NS3) and sulfur (Ss) and of the average length of sulfur copolymer segments X on the feed composition...

A typical example is total monomers. 100 sodium stearate, 5 potassium persulfate, 0.3 lauryl mercaptan, 0.4 to 0.7 and water, 200 parts. In this formula, 75 parts of 1,3-butadiene and 25 parts of 4-methyl-2-vinylthiazole give 86% conversion to a tacky rubber-like copolymer in 15 hr at 45°C. The polymer contains 62% benzene-insoluble gel. Sulfur analysis indicates that the polymer contains 21 parts of combined 4-methyl-2-vinylthiazole (312). Butadiene alone in the above reaction normally requires 25 hr to achieve the same conversion, thus illustrating the acceleration due to the presence of 4-methyl-2-vinylthiazole. 

Strong" Acid Cation Excha.ngers. AH strong acid-type resins are made from styrene—DVB copolymers, with the exception of a minor quantity of phenoHc resin. Batch sulfonation using commercial strength sulfuric acid [8014-95-1] is common. 

Corrosion of reactors used for functionalization and ia pipes and valves along transferlines for sulfuric acid is a problem that results ia maintenance shutdowns. Sufficient agitation is needed to keep the resia beads fluidized duting sulfonation. As for copolymer kettles, transfer lines should be sufficiently large to allow reasonably rapid transfer of Hquids and resia slurries. 

The polyamides are soluble in high strength sulfuric acid or in mixtures of hexamethylphosphoramide, /V, /V- dim ethyl acetam i de and LiCl. In the latter, compHcated relationships exist between solvent composition and the temperature at which the Hquid crystal phase forms. The polyamide solutions show an abmpt decrease in viscosity which is characteristic of mesophase formation when a critical volume fraction of polymer ( ) is exceeded. The viscosity may decrease, however, in the Hquid crystal phase if the molecular ordering allows the rod-shaped entities to gHde past one another more easily despite the higher concentration. The Hquid crystal phase is optically anisotropic and the texture is nematic. The nematic texture can be transformed to a chiral nematic texture by adding chiral species as a dopant or incorporating a chiral unit in the main chain as a copolymer (30). 

The Eastman Chemical Company has pubHshed extensively in the patent Hterature (65—74) and the scientific Hterature (75—77) on processes for making poly(phenylene sulfide)- (9-(phenylene disulfide), and related copolymers. The Eastman process involves the reaction of elemental sulfur with Ndiiodobenzene to yield a phenylene sulfide polymer that also contains phenylene disulfide repeating units in the polymer. The fraction of repeating groups containing... 

The reaction of sulfur dioxide with olefins under free-radical-cataly2ed conditions produces copolymers which, ia most cases, are of an alternating 1 1 type (249,250) ... 

Tetrachloroethylene reacts with formaldehyde and concentrated sulfuric acid at 80°C to form 2,2-dichloropropanoic acid [75-99-0] (8). Copolymers with styrene, vinyl acetate, methyl acrylate, and acrylonitrile are formed in the presence of dibenzoyl peroxide (9,10). 

Butyl Rubber. Butyl mbber was the first low unsaturation elastomer, and was developed ia the United States before World War II by the Standard Oil Co. (now Exxon Chemical). It is a copolymer of isobutylene and isoprene, with just enough of the latter to provide cross-linking sites for sulfur vulcanization. Its molecular stmcture is depicted ia Table 1. 

The first sulfur curable copolymer was prepared ia ethyl chloride usiag AlCl coinitiator and 1,3-butadiene as comonomer however, it was soon found that isoprene was a better diene comonomer and methyl chloride was a better polymerization diluent. With the advent of World War II, there was a critical need to produce synthetic elastomers in North America because the supply of natural mbber was drastically curtailed. This resulted in an enormous scientific and engineering effort that resulted in commercial production of butyl mbber in 1943. 

This combination of monomers is unique in that the two are very different chemically, and in thek character in a polymer. Polybutadiene homopolymer has a low glass-transition temperature, remaining mbbery as low as —85° C, and is a very nonpolar substance with Htde resistance to hydrocarbon fluids such as oil or gasoline. Polyacrylonitrile, on the other hand, has a glass temperature of about 110°C, and is very polar and resistant to hydrocarbon fluids (see Acrylonitrile polymers). As a result, copolymerization of the two monomers at different ratios provides a wide choice of combinations of properties. In addition to providing the mbbery nature to the copolymer, butadiene also provides residual unsaturation, both in the main chain in the case of 1,4, or in a side chain in the case of 1,2 polymerization. This residual unsaturation is useful as a cure site for vulcanization by sulfur or by peroxides, but is also a weak point for chemical attack, such as oxidation, especially at elevated temperatures. As a result, all commercial NBR products contain small amounts ( 0.5-2.5%) of antioxidant to protect the polymer during its manufacture, storage, and use. 

The crystalliza tion resistance of vulcaniza tes can be measured by following hardness or compression set at low temperature over a period of time. The stress in a compression set test accelerates crystallization. Often the curve of compression set with time has an S shape, exhibiting a period of nucleation followed by rapid crystallization (Fig. 3). The mercaptan modified homopolymer, Du Pont Type W, is the fastest crystallizing, a sulfur modified homopolymer, GN, somewhat slower, and a sulfur modified low 2,3-dichlorobutadiene copolymer, GRT, and a mercaptan modified high dichlorobutadiene copolymer, WRT, are the slowest. The test is often mn near the temperature of maximum crystallization rate of —12° C (99). Crystallization is accelerated by polyester plasticizers and delayed with hydrocarbon oil plasticizers. Blending with hydrocarbon diene mbbers may retard crystallization and improve low temperature britdeness (100). 

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