It is widely acknowledged that waste sulfur generated from the petroleum industry creates huge storage and ecological problems. Therefore, the various methods of utilization are becoming increasingly attractive research topics worldwide. The thermal ability of elemental sulfur to homolytic cleavage of S₈ rings enables its free radical copolymerization with unsaturated organic species and the obtaining of chemically stable polymeric materials. Here we report a novel possibility to use sulfur/organic copolymers obtained via "inverse vulcanization" as curatives for rubber. For this purpose, several various sulfur/organic copolymers were synthesized and analyzed from the point of view of their performance as rubber crosslinking agents. Solvent extraction was used to purify sulfur/organic copolymers from unreacted (elemental) sulfur. Thermal properties of the prepared copolymers were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry (TGA⁻DSC). Crosslink density and structure of cured elastomers was studied by equilibrium swelling, thiol-amine analysis and freezing point depression. Mechanical properties of the vulcanizates were determined under static and dynamic conditions (DMA-dynamic mechanical analysis). It is proved that the utilization of sulfur/organic copolymers as curatives enables an effective crosslinking process of rubbers. Taking into account the results of a crosslink density analysis and mechanical properties of the vulcanizates cured with purified copolymers, it is evident that relatively long copolymer macromolecules are also involved in the formation of chemical bonds between unsaturated rubber macromolecules.
Keywords: crosslink density; crosslinking; curatives; elastomer; freezing point depression; inverse vulcanization; rubber; sulfur; sulfur polymers.