Methoxy-Substituted Phenylenesulfide Polymer with Excellent Dispersivity of TiO2 Nanoparticles for Optical Application

Abstract Oxidative polymerization of bis(2-methoxyphenyl) disulfide using a VO(acac)2-strong acid catalyst with O2 or DDQ as an oxidant gave poly(2-methoxy-1,4-phenylenesulfide), which was linear with a molecular weight of Mw = 6.0 × 103, and yet totally amorphous in contrast to poly(1,4-phenylene sulfide) (PPS). The polymer showed both high refractive index and abbe number (nD = 1.73, νD = 22), and could introduce TiO2 nanoparticles with excellent dispersivity via in-situ sol-gel route for enhancing refractive index up to nD = 1.76.