Water Soluble, Ionically Generated Thiopolymers

Abstract Sodium allyl sulfonate (SAS) is a surfactant molecule that has occasional use as a monomer for the formation of functional polymers. A polymerization method is detailed herein, whereby it is demonstrated that the positioning of the individual functional groups can allow for the removal of protons adjacent to a sulfonate position before reaction with an electrophilic center to generate a polymeric material. In this case, sodium polysulfides are applied to promote the formation of a sulfur polymer using a mild synthesis that poses significant safety and energy benefits when compared to other methods of sulfur polymer generation, for example, inverse vulcanization. The polymer product that forms is demonstrated to retain all starting functionalities. Poly ‐S‐SAS polymer also demonstrates impressive properties for application as a desiccant with a sorption maximum of 345 w/w % water, or as a flocculant material capable of removing up to 87% of different metals from low ppm solutions rapidly.