2007 年 80 巻 5 号 p. 191-196
This review describes thermal polymerization of cyclic disulfides without any initiators. Cyclic disulfides such as 1, 2-dithiane (DT) and 1, 4-dihydro-2, 3-benzodithine (XDS) can polymerize easily at reaction temperature of the melting points of the respective monomers to give a high molecular weight polymer determined by GPC. From the analyses of NMR and ESI-MS spectroscopies, the polymers obtained from the polymerization of cyclic disulfides were found to be a cyclic structure. Moreover, thermal and mechanical properties of the polymers, and decomposition behaviors of the polymers demonstrate that the polymers obtained from thermal polymerization of cyclic disulfides include a polycatenane structure. From polymerization of cyclic disulfides in the presence of cyclic poly (ethylene oxide), a polycatenane consisting of two different cyclic polymer was obtained. The polymers revealed characteristics as a shape-memory material.