随着对可持续聚合物需求的增加,大多数研究工作都集中在聚酯上,可以是生物衍生的和可生物降解的。然而类似的聚硫酯,其中一个氧原子被硫原子取代,仍然是一个相对未开发的潜力来源。硫的掺入使聚合物表现出广泛的有利性能,如热电阻,降解性,和高折射率。聚硫酯合成代表了研究的前沿,承诺为传统聚酯的生态友好替代品铺平道路。此外,聚硫酯研究也可以为可持续和可回收材料的开发开辟道路。在过去的25年里,已经开发了许多合成聚硫酯的方法。然而,迄今为止,由于成本的挑战,尚未开发出聚硫酯的工业合成,产量,以及副产品的毒性。本文将总结聚硫酯合成的最新进展,涵盖逐步增长聚合,开环聚合(ROP),和生物合成。至关重要的是,将强调这些过程的好处和挑战,特别注意它们的可持续性,目的是鼓励对快速增长的聚硫酯领域进行进一步的探索和研究。本文受版权保护。保留所有权利。
As the demand for sustainable polymers increases, most research efforts have focused on polyesters, which can be bioderived and biodegradable. Yet analogous polythioesters, where one of the oxygen atoms has been replaced by a sulfur atom, remain a relatively untapped source of potential. The incorporation of sulfur allows the polymer to exhibit a wide range of favorable properties, such as thermal resistance, degradability, and high refractive index. Polythioester synthesis represents a frontier in research, holding the promise of paving the way for eco-friendly alternatives to conventional polyesters. Moreover, polythioester research can also open avenues to the development of sustainable and recyclable materials. In the last 25 years, many methods to synthesize polythioesters have been developed. However, to date no industrial synthesis of polythioesters has been developed due to challenges of costs, yields, and the toxicity of the by-products. This review will summarize the recent advances in polythioester synthesis, covering step-growth polymerization, ring-opening polymerization (ROP), and biosynthesis. Crucially, the benefits and challenges of the processes will be highlighted, paying particular attention to their sustainability, with the aim of encouraging further exploration and research into the fast-growing field of polythioesters.