Development of Polymeric Composites via Extrusion Driven In-situ Polymerization

Abstract

Elemental sulfur is in low demand and has accumulated in large deposits around the world as a byproduct of the petroleum industry. Research into the use of sulfur has been conducted and the process of inverse vulcanization for the synthesis of polymeric sulfur has emerged. Due to sulfur’s unique properties, it is believed that polymeric sulfur may be optimized for optical applications, exploiting its high refractive index. One area where polymeric sulfur materials might be useful is in thermal imaging, where the currently manufactured lenses utilize expensive and often toxic materials that require costly and advanced processing techniques to produce. Due to the straightforward nature of inverse vulcanization and the transparency of sulfur bonds in the IR spectrum, polymeric sulfur could be a promising alternative. This Thesis work is concerned with optimizing the refractive index of polymeric sulfur produced from the inverse vulcanization process via inclusion of nanoparticles and selenium to create advanced composites. An in-situ extrusion process will be pursued as a one-step processing solution and as a method of homogeneously dispersing and immobilizing the included particles. A second lens-forming step is utilized in a hot press machine to shape the composite and cure the resulting polymer matrix to enhance its thermal and mechanical properties.

Date of Award	29 Nov 2024
Original language	American English
Supervisor	Saeed Alhassan (Supervisor)