Comonomer Isomers Result in Varied Optical Properties for Long Wavelength Infrared-Transmitting ORMOCHALC Polymers

Inverse vulcanization is a method by which sulfur is combined with comonomer molecules to develop stable materials termed organically modified chalcogenide (ORMOCHALC) polymers. Although various comonomers have been used in the fabrication of ORMOCHALC polymers in prior studies, this study was performed to determine the effect of using molecular isomers, as comonomers in separate reactions, on the optical properties of ORMOCHALC polymers. For the study, meta-divinylbenzene (m-DVB) and para-divinylbenzene (p-DVB) were separately combined with sulfur in equivalent atomic percentage amounts to form poly(S-r-m-DVB) and poly(S-r-p-DVB), respectively. The use of these isomers resulted in polymers with notable differences in their optical properties, including the polymer color, optical transmission and refractive index. The impact of comonomer selection on the optical character of ORMOCHALC polymers is investigated and the results detailed.