Circular Polymers from Ring‐Opening Polymerization of Five‐Membered (Thio)lactones and Derivatives

Abstract The short lifespan of most commercial plastics as disposables and the failure to adequately address the end‐of‐life issues of synthetic polymers have led to outrageous global plastic pollution and resource depletion. To solve the problem, one of the most effective strategies is to develop circular polymers and thus establish a new circular material economy. Polymers from ring‐opening polymerization of five‐membered (thio)lactones contribute greatly to this field due to their excellent material performance and recyclability. The emerging topic emphasizes on the monomer design strategies based on five‐membered (thio)lactones, and compares the thermal and mechanical properties and depolymerizability of the resulting polymers with different structures.