Catechol End-Capped Poly(arylene sulfide) as a High-Refractive-Index “TiO₂/ZrO₂-Nanodispersible” Polymer

Poly(arylene sulfide)s (PASs) with a functional group at one terminus were successfully prepared by end functionalization of a disulfide end in a precursor PAS obtained via oxidative polymerization. End functionalization of methoxy-substituted PAS (OMePPS) with a carboxylic acid or catechol unit afforded not only high refractive indices up to 1.7 but also a high dispersivity of TiO2/ZrO2 nanoparticles with a size of a few 30 nm, owing to the high affinity of the end group for inorganic oxide nanoparticles. In particular, the catechol-functionalized OMePPS showed remarkably high dispersivity of inorganic nanoparticles, and the hybrid film of this polymer with 30 wt % of ZrO2 nanoparticles exhibited a higher refractive index of 1.82 at the D line (589.3 nm).