Recent advances in the ring-opening polymerization of sulfur-containing monomers

Abstract

Inspired by the uniqueness of ring-opening polymerization and the ubiquity of sulfur-containing heterocycles, much attention has been paid to the synthesis of sulfur-containing polymers as they can provide novel materials with a broad range of applications ranging from stimuli responsiveness to (bio)degradability. Within this review article an overview is presented regarding various ROP technologies (ROP/rROP/ROMP) which are further categorized by monomer class, detailing significant developments over the previous decades which cement the importance of sulfur-containing monomers in modern polymer chemistry. This article aims to explore the chemistry involved in the ring-opening polymerization of sulfur-containing cyclic monomers by summarizing the state-of-the-art, as well as providing an overview of the fundamental challenges involved in synthesizing sulfur-containing polymers, including potential future directions.