Patent ID: 8063237

Claim:
A process for synthesizing a polysulfide polysilane (III) comprising the steps of: (i) Mixing: 1)—a polythiol (I) represented by the general formula, (HS)—R—(SH) n (I) wherein n is an integer between 1 and 5 inclusive; and R is a group selected from: arylene heteroarylene, and linear or branched (C 1 -C 30 ) alkylene, wherein from 1 to 10 carbon atoms may be replaced by a group selected from (CO), (SO 2 ), NR 4 where R 4 represents a hydrogen atom or linear or branched (C 1 -C 6 ) alkyl, O, S, and P; and/or each alkylene may be optionally substituted by a group selected from hydroxyl, carboxy, aryl, and heteroaryl; and 2) an alkenyl silane (II) represented by the general formula (R 1 ) m X (3-m) Si—R 2 —R 3 (II) wherein: R 1 is a linear or branched (C 1 -C 10 ) alkyl group, which comprises optionally from 1 to 5 heteroatoms selected from NR 4 where R 4 represents a hydrogen atom or linear or branched (C 1 -C 6 ) alkyl, O, S, and P; and/or each alkyl group may be optionally substituted by a group selected from hydroxyl, carboxy, and (C 1 -C 6 ) alkoxy; X is a group selected from a halogen atom and —OR 5 , wherein R 5 represents a group selected from (C 3 -C 10 ) cycloalkyl, (C 3 -C 10 ) heterocycloalkyl, and linear or branched (C 1 -C 6 ) alkyl which may be comprised of from 1 to 3 heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of NR 4 where R 4 represents a hydrogen atom or linear or branched (C 1 -C 6 ) alkyl, O, S; and/or each alkyl group may be substituted by a group selected from linear or branched (C 1 -C 6 ) alkoxy, carboxy, and hydroxy; m is an integer comprised of from 0 to 2 inclusive; R 2 is either absent or represented by a group selected from: linear or branched (C 1 -C 10 ) alkylene wherein from 1 to 4 carbon atoms may be replaced by a group selected from (CO) and NR 4 where R 4 represents a hydrogen atom or linear or branched (C 1 -C 6 ) alkyl, O, S; and/or each alkylene may be optionally substituted by a group selected from linear or branched (C 1 -C 6 ) alkoxy, carboxy, and hydroxy; R 3 represents a group selected from linear or branched (C 1 -C 10 ) alkenyl, (C 4 -C 10 ) cycloalkenyl, and (C 4 -C 10 ) heterocycloalkenyl; each of these groups may be optionally substituted by a group selected from linear or branched (C 1 -C 6 ) alkyl, linear or branched (C 1 -C 6 ) alkoxy, linear or branched (C 1 -C 6 ) thioalkoxy, carboxy, thiol, and hydroxyl to obtain a solution; and (ii) exposing the solution to UV radiation for thiol-ene addition thereby producing a polysulfide polysilane (III).