Compositions including a polythiol, an unsaturated compound, and a dye and methods relating to such compositions

A crosslinked polymer network comprising:

• a polythiol crosslinked with at least one unsaturated compound comprising two or more carbon-carbon double bonds, carbon-carbon triple bonds, or a combination thereof;
• and
• a dye compound represented by the following formula covalently incorporated into the crosslinked polymer network:
• wherein
• R is hydrogen or alkyl;
• X is alkylene;
• Y is a bond, ether, thioether, amine, amide, ester, thioester, carbonate, thiocarbonate, carbamate, thiocarbamate, urea, thiourea, alkylene, arylalkylene, alkylarylene, or arylene, wherein alkylene, arylalkylene, alkylarylene, and arylene are optionally at least one of interrupted or terminated by at least one of an ether, thioether, amine, amide, ester, thioester, carbonate, thiocarbonate, carbamate, thiocarbamate, urea, or thiourea;
• and
• Z is an acrylate, a methacrylate, an acrylamide, a methacrylamide, a styrenyl, a terminal alkenyl, or a thiol, wherein Z has been reacted to form a covalent bond in the crosslinked polymer network.

A method of stabilizing a curable composition comprising a polythiol and at least one unsaturated compound comprising two or more carbon-carbon double bonds, carbon-carbon triple bonds, or a combination thereof, the method comprising adding to the composition a dye compound of the following formula:

• wherein
• R is hydrogen or alkyl;
• X is alkylene;
• Y is a bond, ether, thioether, amine, amide, ester, thioester, carbonate, thiocarbonate, carbamate, thiocarbamate, urea, thiourea, alkylene, arylalkylene, alkylarylene, or arylene, wherein alkylene, arylalkylene, alkylarylene, and arylene are optionally at least one of interrupted or terminated by at least one of an ether, thioether, amine, amide, ester, thioester, carbonate, thiocarbonate, carbamate, thiocarbamate, urea, or thiourea;
• and
• Z is an acrylate, a methacrylate, an acrylamide, a methacrylamide, a styrenyl, a terminal alkenyl, or a thiol,
• in an amount sufficient to reduce a viscosity increase of the curable composition relative to a comparative composition that is the same as the curable composition except that it does not contain the dye compound.