A new living emulsion polymerization mechanism: Episulfide anionic polymerization

The anionic ring-opening polymerization of episulfides has been successfully applied in emulsion. The polymerization proceeded with a living mechanism but was characterized by a limiting conversion, presumably arising from the increase in viscosity in the polymer. To the knowledge of the authors, only two other cases of living anionic polymerization in emulsion are known (silicones and cyanoacrylates); the additional novelty presented by episulifdes is the ease of end-functionalization. Furthermore, the emulsion polymerization allowed the preparation of highly stable particles, which, due to their PEGylated surface and their appropriate diameter, can be applied in the biomedical field as nanocarriers.