Researchers at the Molecular Foundry of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have worked with a team from the Scripps Research Institute to develop a faster and easier way to produce sulphur-containing polymers. The method is expected to significantly reduce the cost of large-scale production. In their paper published in Nature Communications, the researchers describe how they used an inexpensive process called hydrothermal liquefaction (HLF) to create a new class of polymer that can be produced using standard chemical processes. The reaction needs up to 1,000 times less catalyst than most popular methods, reducing both material and disposal costs.
Researchers at the Molecular Foundry of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have worked with a team from the Scripps Research Institute to develop a faster and easier way to produce sulphur-containing polymers. The method is expected to significantly reduce the cost of large-scale production. The scientists created long chains of linked sulphur-containing molecules using "click chemistry", a term for high-yield, controllable reactions. The reaction needs up to 1,000 times less catalyst than most popular methods, reducing both material and disposal costs.