Synthesis of network polymers by ring-opening addition reaction of multi-functional epoxy and dithiol compounds

Network polymers have been successfully synthesized by ring-opening addition reaction of multi-functional epoxy with α,ω-dithiol compounds in the presence of triethyl amine as a base catalyst. The reactions with alkane dithiol in dimethyl sulfoxide yielded transparent gels. Young’s modulus of the gels, which was evaluated by compression test, increased with increasing in number of epoxy group of the multi-functional epoxy compound and decreasing in methylene length of the alkane dithiol compound used due. The reaction of pentaerythritol polyglycidyl ether (PPE) with a dithiol compound having polyethylene glycol linkage, 1,2-bis(2-mercaptoethoxy)ethane (BME), in ethanol induced phase separation during the polymerization and produced the porous polymer under the appropriate conditions (temperature, monomer concentration, and catalyst amount). The porous polymers showed the surface morphology formed by connected particles in the diameters ranged from about 2 to 30 μm. The particles size tended to decrease with increasing of the monomer concentration and decreasing of the catalyst concentration. The PPE-BME porous polymers were not breakable under the compression of 50 N, and their Young’s moduli increased with increasing in the monomer concentration and the amount of the catalyst in the preparation reaction systems.