Poly(disulfide)s” inSulfur-containing Polymers: From Synthesis to Functional Materials

Abstract

Poly(disulfide)s (PDS) are a class of polymer in which the backbone repeating unit consists of bio-reducible disulfide linkage. Although PDSs have been known for a long time, scope of structural diversity was limited due to lack of suitable synthetic methods. In the recent past, new synthetic methods have emerged in the literature, which allows synthesis of functional PDS with structural diversity. This chapter provides a comprehensive description on various synthetic procedures for PDS including oxidative polymerization of dithiols, ring-opening polymerization of cyclic oligodisulfide, thiol-disulfide exchange, self-organizing surface-initiated polymerization, and so on. Subsequently it describes recent advancement in the filed on amphiphilic PDS, self-assembly, and implications in redox-responsive disassembly, which is of biological relevance due to varying redox environments in different intracellular compartments and extracellular medium. The chapter further includes recent development on cellular uptake of PDS scaffolds by specific interaction with cell-surface thiols.