Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 15, 2026

Synthesis of a Thiol Building Block for the Crystallization of a Semiconducting Gyroidal Metal-sulfur Framework
Published on: April 9, 2018
Single-Crystalline Poly(disulfide)s Enabled by PhotoTriggered Topochemical Ring-Opening Polymerization of
Zheng-Bin Zhu1, Xiaoming Li1, Ling Liu1
1Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Joint International Research Laboratory of Precision Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center, Frontiers Science Center for Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry, Institute of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China.
None:
Topochemical polymerization offers a versatile approach to producing single-crystalline polymers by in situ polymerization in the preorganized solid state. Despite the existing examples of topochemical polymerization based on the formation of strong covalent bonds (e.g., C-C, C-N, and C-O), the construction of single-crystalline polymers mediated by weak yet dynamic covalent bonds, e.g., disulfide bonds, remains elusive. Here, we report a single-crystalline poly(disulfide) by phototriggered topochemical ring-opening polymerization mediated by disulfide exchange. The key design is to control the spatial distance and geometry of the 1,2-dithiolane ring by elaborating side-chain moieties that determine the supramolecular self-assembling. It is found that zigzag-like preorganization facilitates the quantitative single-crystal-to-single-crystal polymerization triggered by UV/visible light or X-ray. The resulted single-crystalline poly(disulfide)s exhibit superior thermostability and solvent resistance compared to the state-of-the-art amorphous poly(disulfide)s. Upon dissolving the crystals with trifluoroacetic acid, the intrinsic dynamicity of poly(disulfide)s could be reactivated to enable depolymerization and yield origin-quality crystalline monomers for polymer regeneration. We anticipate this work as a starting point, bridging dynamic polymers with topochemical polymerization toward dynamic molecular crystals and smart materials.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Preparation and Reactions of Sulfides
Olefin Metathesis Polymerization: Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization (ROMP)
Thermal and Photochemical Electrocyclic Reactions: Overview
[4+2] Cycloaddition of Conjugated Dienes: Diels–Alder Reaction

