Optical Properties of Photopolymerized Thiol–Ene Polymers Fabricated Using Various Multivinyl Monomers

A common tetrathiol was combined with various multivinyl monomers via photoinitiated thiol–ene chemistry reactions to determine the impact of divinyl comonomers on the optical properties of the resulting polymers in comparison with the use of tetravinyl comonomers. The optical properties, thermal properties, and hydrophilic character of the resulting polymers were determined and compared with each other. The reactions resulted in transparent, hydrophilic materials that could be polymerized and molded. The results showed that divinyl comonomers polymerized with the common tetrathiol comonomer tended to have greater transmissive character but lower refractive indices than tetravinyl comonomers polymerized with the common tetrathiol comonomer. It was ultimately determined that the varying polymers could all be useful in optical applications that require transparent, soft, or nonhydrophobic materials.