Reversible Crosslinking–decrosslinking of Network PolymerExploiting the Reactivity of Vicinal Tricarbonyl Compounds

Abstract

Vicinal tricarbonyl compounds, chemical species having three contiguous carbonyl groups, readily react withvarious nucleophiles, such as water, alcohols, thiols, and aromatic amines without any catalyst, and moreover,these addition reactions are reversible under appropriate conditions. Therefore, reversible crosslinking–decrosslinking systems can be constructed by incorporating vicinal tricarbonyl structures into polymers. Thisreview deals with 1） the synthetic methods, characteristics, and reactivity of vicinal tricarbonyl compounds,and 2） network formation based on the reaction of vicinal tricarbonyl compound and polymer recycling bydecrosslinking of the networked polymers.