Themed collection Chalcogen-containing polymers

Justin M. Chalker, Rongrong Hu and Jeffrey Pyun introduce the Polymer Chemistry themed issue on Chalcogen-containing polymers.

Organosulfur polymer cathode materials have shown promising electrochemical performances in rechargeable batteries. This review covers recent developments of the polymer cathodes and the remaining challenges and future prospects are discussed.

Synthesis of degradable sulfur-containing polymers via the copolymerization of SO₂ with epoxides or olefines.

This review summarises the work of several decades on the polymerisation of S-vinyl monomers, ranging from the early reports of suitable polymerisation techniques for these monomers to their recent renaissance in various applications.

This review covers the extensive use of γ-thiolactone chemistry as a versatile and powerful tool for macromolecular engineering and the preparation of various polymer architectures, such as functional, alternating, or sequence-controlled (co)polymers.

Herein, a novel 1,1′-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) mediated polymerization methodology that complements ring-opening polymerization (ROP) and unlocks a greater synthetic window to less-recognized polydithiocarbonates is presented.

This communication reports comparative studies between amphiphilic hyperbranched and linear poly(disulfide) with regard to their aggregation and glutathione-responsive intracellular drug delivery.

A series of aromatic polythioamides with high gold extraction efficiency and high refractive index have been synthesized through the KOH-assisted multicomponent polymerization of elemental sulfur, aromatic diamines and aromatic dialdehydes.

A simple and facile processing strategy to enhance the thermomechanical properties of sulfur-rich polymers has been reported.

The number and position of sulfur atoms in cyclic (thio)carbonate monomers from D-glucal are varied, and their influence on polymerisability, polymer sequence and thermal properties is discussed.

The synthesis of π-conjugated polymers containing a degradable 1,2,4-oxadiazole linker by direct heteroaryl polymerization (DHAP) is reported.

Multi-dimensional modelling was used to study the effect of chalcogen atoms on the non-covalent interactions, structural and electronic properties of polymer materials. Their bulk properties were also studied at the molecular level.

Inverse vulcanization of trimethoxyvinylsilane microparticles and their application as heavy metal adsorbents for environmentally hazardous Hg²⁺ and Cu²⁺ ions.

A magnetic responsive composite was made from a sulfur-rich polymer and iron nanoparticles. Diverse applications in mercury remediation, microwave curing, and magnetic responsive actuators were demonstrated.

Degradable polymers are considered to present a promising solution to combat plastic pollution.

The control of cross-linking of polythiophene with cyclic siloxane was achieved and provided to their mechanical properties and elastic recovery. The cross-links led to high recovery of crystallite orientation under stretching.

Various olefin monomers were inverse-vulcanized. The structural analysis and evaluation of the thermal stability of the products revealed that aliphatic internal olefins are suitable monomers for suppressing side reactions.

A novel method for the preparation of poly(thioether)s by copolymerizing PC with COS is reported, which also expands the application of PC.

Selenium-containing brush polymers with diverse functional segments were easily prepared through diselenide–yne chemistry.

Vinyl mercaptoethanol is a scalable vinyl thioether monomer, which can readily be polymerized in a free radical process or by controlled methods. It tends to form alternating copolymers if copolymerized with acrylates and methacrylates.

Cycloaddition polymerization of bis(N-sulfonyl aziridine)s with diisocyanates in the presence of tributylphosphine allows the facile synthesis of poly(thiazolidin-2-imine)s.

Sulfur and garlic essential oil can initiate polymerization with a variety of natural monomers to form sustainable adhesives. The sulfur source has a substantial impact on the adhesion strength and material properties.

π-Conjugated poly(arylene ethynylene)s containing both thiophene-2,5-diyl and fused metallacycles units in their alternating sequence were synthesized and their optoelectronic features were studied by the UV-vis spectra.

Responsive photonic crystals (PCs) have attracted great interest due to their adjustable structure color.

Inverse vulcanisation stabilises polymeric sulfur to synthesise high sulfur content polymers. Inverse vulcanised polymers were reinforced with carbon black, cellulose microfibres and nanoclay to increase tensile strength.

Functional poly(monothiocarbonate)-based copolymers are easily prepared by terpolymerization of a CO₂-sourced bis(cyclic carbonate) with dithiols and diamines under ambient conditions.

The copolymerization of SO₂ with PO mediated by PPNCl was comprehensively studied with reference to main-chain structure analysis, living polymerization character, regioselectivity, and cyclic byproducts.