Size Control and Antioxidant Properties of Sulfur-Rich Polymer Colloids from Interfacial Polymerization

High sulfur content polymeric materials, known for their intriguing properties such as high refractive indices and high electrochemical capacities, have garnered significant interest in recent years for their applications in optics, antifouling surfaces, triboelectrics, and electrochemistry. Despite the high interest, most high sulfur-content polymers reported to date are either bulk materials or thin films, and there is a general lack of research into sulfur-rich polymer colloids. Water-dispersed, sulfur-rich particles are anticipated to broaden the range of applications for sulfur-containing materials. In this study, the preparation and size control parameters are presented of an aqueous dispersion of sulfur-rich polymers with the sulfur content of dispersed particles exceeding 75 wt%. Employing polymeric stabilizers with varying hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB), along with changing the rank of inorganic polysulfides, allow for the control of particle size in the range of 360 nm - 1.8 mu m. The sulfur-rich colloid demonstrates antioxidant properties in water, demonstrating the potential for the use of sulfur-rich polymeric materials readily removable, heterogeneous radical scavengers. This study presents the synthesis of polysulfide particles in diverse sizes utilizing phase transfer catalysts and polymeric stabilizers, contrasting with prior research. Particularly notable is the one-step growth of polymer particle size by more than 1 mu m. The resultant polysulfide segments exhibit size-dependent antioxidant effects, suggesting potential application as radical scavengers. image