Initiator-Free Thiol-Aldehyde Photo Polycondensation.

Traditional photopolymerizations generally require an initiator for initiating the polymerization while few cases have created degradable chemical bonds. Moreover, the migration instability and cytotoxicity of photo initiators are posing issues to human health and the environment. In this work, we discovered an initiator-free photo polycondensation system (IFPPC) between polymercaptans and aldehyde monomers, producing elastic and high strength plastic materials with exchangeable and degradable dithioacetal groups.

Bio-based monomers for amide-containing sustainable polymers.

The field of sustainable polymers from renewable feedstocks is a fast-reviving field after the decades-long domination of petroleum-based polymers. Amide-containing polymers exhibit a wide range of properties depending on the type of amide (primary, secondary, and tertiary), amide density, and other molecular structural parameters (co-existing groups, molecular weight, and topology). Engineering amide groups into sustainable polymers the "monomer approach" is an industrially proven strategy, while bio-based monomers are of enormous importance to bridge the gap between renewable sources and amide-containing sustainable polymers (AmSPs).