On the Mechanism of the Ring-Expansion Polymerization of Thiiranes

Ring polymers are synthesized using a cyclic bifunctional thioester as initiator for REP of thiiranes. PMT yields satisfactory results, whereas polymerization with MT appears to develop dead polymeric material as by-product and TBMT gives only negligible conversion rates. The process produces high yields and high conversion rates. The corresponding molecular weight distributions show increasing broadening and multimodal character with increasing reaction time due to thermodynamically controlled ring-merging reactions between macrocycles. The polymerization rate of PMT obeys a pseudo first-order kinetics with an activation energy of 38.8 kJ mol(-1). H-1 NMR, ESI-MS, and glass transition temperatures independent of the molecular weight demonstrate the presence of cyclic polymer.