Exchange Kinetics of Reprocessable Vulcanization Networks Regulated by Inverse Vulcanization Copolymers

Zhou-Liang Wu; Ling-Rui Li; Yu Zhou; Di Yang; Shuang-Quan Liao; Jun-Fei Mei; Ai-Wu Ding; Ming-Chao Luo

doi:10.1007/s10118-026-3740-4

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Exchange Kinetics of Reprocessable Vulcanization Networks Regulated by Inverse Vulcanization Copolymers

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2026-09-23

- Exchange Kinetics of Reprocessable Vulcanization Networks Regulated by Inverse Vulcanization Copolymers
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 44, Issue 10, Pages: 3565-3573(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  a.School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
  b.Hainan Advanced Natural Rubber Composite Materials Engineering Research Center Co., Ltd., Chengmai 571924, China
- Author bio：
  
  dingaw@163.com (A.W.D.)
  mchluo@hainanu.edu.cn (M.C.L.)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-026-3740-4
  CLC：
- Received：03 April 2026，
  
  Revised：2026-04-29，
  
  Accepted：06 May 2026，
  
  Online First：22 August 2026，
  
  Published：05 October 2026
- Accepted：
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Wu, Z. L.; Li, L. R.; Zhou, Y.; Yang, D.; Liao, S. Q.; Mei, J. F.; Ding, A. W.; Luo, M. C. Exchange kinetics of reprocessable vulcanization networks regulated by inverse vulcanization copolymers. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 3565–3573

Zhou-Liang Wu, Ling-Rui Li, Yu Zhou, et al. Exchange Kinetics of Reprocessable Vulcanization Networks Regulated by Inverse Vulcanization Copolymers[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(10): 3565-3573.
Wu, Z. L.; Li, L. R.; Zhou, Y.; Yang, D.; Liao, S. Q.; Mei, J. F.; Ding, A. W.; Luo, M. C. Exchange kinetics of reprocessable vulcanization networks regulated by inverse vulcanization copolymers. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 3565–3573 DOI： 10.1007/s10118-026-3740-4.

Zhou-Liang Wu, Ling-Rui Li, Yu Zhou, et al. Exchange Kinetics of Reprocessable Vulcanization Networks Regulated by Inverse Vulcanization Copolymers[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(10): 3565-3573. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-026-3740-4.

摘要

Copolymers of sulfur and thioctic acid are employed to regulate exchange kinetics in vulcanization networks. Increasing the thioctic acid content lowers the apparent activation energy for network rearrangement.

Abstract

The reprocessing and recycling of vulcanized rubbers remain challenging because conventional vulcanization networks are irreversible. Here

we designed a modified sulfur crosslinker

via

inverse vulcanization to regulate the exchange kinetics of vulcanization networks

thereby governing the mechanical recovery behavior of reprocessed rubbers. Copolymers of sulfur and thioctic acid (CSTA)

synthesized

via

inverse vulcanization

were employed to crosslink butadiene-styrene rubber. After vulcanization

thioctic acid (TA) introduces dynamic disulfide bonds into the conventional vulcanization networks

enabling thermally activated network rearrangement while preserving the overall crosslinked structure. Kinetic analysis revealed that increasing the TA content accelerated network exchange and significantly lowered the apparent activation energy for network rearrangements. Correspondingly

the recovery of the mechanical properties after reprocessing improved with increasing TA content. These results establish a clear correlation between vulcanization network exchange kinetics and macroscopic mechanical performance

providing a kinetic basis for the design of reprocessable vulcanization networks and offering a promising route toward recyclable high-performance rubber materials.

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