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Updated: Apr 25, 2026

Synthesis of Terpolymers at Mild Temperatures Using Dynamic Sulfur Bonds in PolyS-Divinylbenzene
Published on: May 20, 2019
A High-Refractive-Index and Partially Chemically Recyclable Polymer From a Sulfur-Rich Spiro-and-Fused Tricyclic
Kaiyu Niu1, Ting Wu1, Meiqi Luo1
1Key Laboratory of Polymeric Materials & Application Technology of Hunan Province, Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymeric Materials of College of Hunan Province, College of Chemistry, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, Hunan, P. R. China.
None:
The development of chemically recyclable polymers with high refractive indices is desirable for sustainable optics. Herein, a sulfur-rich spiro-tetrathioorthocarbonate motif was integrated into a fused bicyclic framework, yielding a spiro-and-fused tricyclic monomer, trans-tetrathiaspiro[4.5]decane-fused cyclooctene (M1). Its ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) produced polymer P1, which exhibits a high refractive index (nD > 1.65), excellent thermal stability (Td ∼ 300°C), and good transparency. Depolymerization studies show that P1 can revert to monomer under dilute conditions, achieving up to ~ 76% conversion with elevated catalyst loadings. Unlike spiroketal-based analogues that depolymerize near-quantitatively under mild conditions, the sulfur-rich tetrathioorthocarbonate group introduces distinct challenges for depolymerization efficiency. This work establishes a new monomer platform for recyclable optical polymers and highlights the interplay between functional group design and catalyst compatibility in reversible ROMP.
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