Temperature-modulated DSC study of network formation via Thiol-Isocyanate “click” reaction

Abstract

The thiol-isocyanate chemistry was used to create crosslinked polymer networks without the use of solvent and catalyst. The preliminary study of a model thiol-isocyanate reaction was performed to confirm the “efficient linking” feature of the reaction, as indicated by online FTIR method. Temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC) was used to characterize the occurrence of the networks thiol-isocyanate reaction between multifunctional reactants, the influence of temperature on the reaction rate and the glass transition temperatures of the partially and fully cured networks. The investigation could pave the way for the design and tailoring of new cross-linked polymer materials for on-demand applications.