Sulfurization of Polymers: a Novel Access to Electroactive and Conducting Materials

Abstract

Abstract The article is a concise analysis of the author's group's systematic exploration of the scope and potential of a new general approach to the synthesis of sulfur-rich polyconjugated polymers by direct dehydrogenative sulfurization of common polymers (polyethylene, polyacetylene, polystyrene, polyvinylpyridine, polydiethylsiloxane) with elemental sulfur. The deeply sulfurized polymers thus formed, consist of functionalized redox-active polyene, polysulfide and polycondensed thiophene entities and related blocks, the ratio of which depends on the reaction conditions and starting polymer structure. This paves the simplest way to electroactive and conducting materials with tailor-made properties, which may find application (among others) as principal cathode components of advanced electrochemical energy storage devices, e.g. lithium rechargeable batteries.