Designed Synthesis of a 1D Polymer in Twist‐Stacked Topology via Single‐Crystal‐to‐Single‐Crystal Polymerization

To synthesize a fully organic 1D polymer in a novel twist‐stacked topology, we designed a peptide monomer HC≡CCH₂‐NH‐Ile‐Leu‐N₃, which crystallizes with its molecules H‐bonded along a six‐fold screw axis. These H‐bonded columns pack parallelly such that molecules arrange head‐to‐tail, forming linear non‐covalent chains in planes perpendicular to the screw axis. The chains arrange parallelly to form molecular layers which twist‐stack along the screw axis. Crystals of this monomer, on heating, undergo single‐crystal‐to‐single‐crystal (SCSC) topochemical azide–alkyne cycloaddition (TAAC) polymerization to yield an exclusively 1,4‐triazole‐linked polymer in a twist‐stacked layered topology. This topologically defined polymer shows better mechanical strength and thermal stability than its unordered form, as evidenced by nanoindentation studies and thermogravimetric analysis, respectively. This work illustrates the scope of topochemical polymerizations for synthesizing polymers in pre‐decided topologies.     

β‐Sheet to Helical‐Sheet Evolution Induced by Topochemical Polymerization: Cross‐α‐Amyloid‐like Packing in a Pseudoprotein with Gly‐Phe‐Gly Repeats

Protein‐mimics are of great interest for their structure, stability, and properties. We are interested in the synthesis of protein‐mimics containing triazole linkages as peptide‐bond surrogate by topochemical azide‐alkyne cycloaddition (TAAC) polymerization of azide‐ and alkyne‐modified peptides. The rationally designed dipeptide N₃‐CH₂CO‐Phe‐NHCH₂CCH ( 1 ) crystallized in a parallel β‐sheet arrangement and are head‐to‐tail aligned in a direction perpendicular to the β‐sheet‐direction. Upon heating, crystals of 1 underwent single‐crystal‐to‐single‐crystal polymerization forming a triazole‐linked pseudoprotein with Gly‐Phe‐Gly repeats. During TAAC polymerization, the pseudoprotein evolved as helical chains. These helical chains are laterally assembled by backbone hydrogen bonding in a direction perpendicular to the helical axis to form helical sheets. This interesting helical‐sheet orientation in the crystal resembles the cross‐α‐amyloids, where α‐helices are arranged laterally as sheets.     

β-Sheet to Helical-Sheet Evolution Induced by Topochemical Polymerization: Cross-α-Amyloid-like Packing in a Pseudoprotein with Gly-Phe-Gly Repeats

Protein-mimics are of great interest for their structure, stability, and properties. We are interested in the synthesis of protein-mimics containing triazole linkages as peptide-bond surrogate by topochemical azide-alkyne cycloaddition (TAAC) polymerization of azide- and alkyne-modified peptides. The rationally designed dipeptide N₃-CH₂CO-Phe-NHCH₂CCH ( 1 ) crystallized in a parallel β-sheet arrangement and are head-to-tail aligned in a direction perpendicular to the β-sheet-direction. Upon heating, crystals of 1 underwent single-crystal-to-single-crystal polymerization forming a triazole-linked pseudoprotein with Gly-Phe-Gly repeats. During TAAC polymerization, the pseudoprotein evolved as helical chains. These helical chains are laterally assembled by backbone hydrogen bonding in a direction perpendicular to the helical axis to form helical sheets. This interesting helical-sheet orientation in the crystal resembles the cross-α-amyloids, where α-helices are arranged laterally as sheets.     

基于巯基点击反应与RAFT聚合的功能性聚合物合成

可逆加成-裂解链转移聚合(RAFT)由于单体适用面广、聚合条件温和、不受聚合方法的限制等特性, 已经成为活性合成聚合物的有效手段之一。点击化学(click chemistry)由于具有良好的选择性、模块性以及官能团耐受性等特点迅速成为许多研究领域,如药物、聚合物、功能材料等合成的有力工具,同时涌现出了多种基于巯基的点击反应。本文综述了近年来基于巯基的点击反应, 如巯基-烯、巯基-炔、巯基-异氰酸酯、巯基-环氧化物以及巯基-卤代烃等新型点击反应与RAFT聚合相结合在功能性聚合物的制备和修饰中的应用, 相信这两种手段的结合将在其中发挥积极的作用。     

Synthesis of Triazole‐linked Homonucleoside Polymers through Topochemical Azide–Alkyne Cycloaddition

There is a great deal of interest in developing stable modified nucleic acids for application in diverse fields. Phosphate‐modified DNA analogues, in which the phosphodiester group is replaced with a surrogate group, are attractive because of their high stability and resistance to nucleases. However, the scope of conventional solution or solid‐phase DNA synthesis is limited for making DNA analogues with unnatural linkages. Other limitations associated with conventional synthesis include difficulty in making larger polymers, poor yield, incomplete reaction, and difficult purification. To circumvent these problems, a single‐crystal‐to‐single‐crystal (SCSC) synthesis of a 1,5‐triazole‐linked polymeric ssDNA analogue from a modified nucleoside through topochemical azide–alkyne cycloaddition (TAAC) is reported. This is the first solvent‐free, catalyst‐free synthesis of a DNA analogue that proceeds in quantitative yield and does not require any purification.     

Perfluorophenyl–Phenyl Interactions in the Crystallization and Topochemical Polymerization of Triacetylene Monomers

A series of symmetrically and unsymmetrically substituted octa‐2,4,6‐triyne‐1,8‐diol derivatives with benzoyl, 4‐dodecyloxybenzoyl, as well as perfluorobenzoyl substituents were prepared and investigated with respect to their crystal structures and topochemical polymerizability. Single‐crystal structures for several of these triacetylene monomers have been obtained and proved that the perfluorophenyl–phenyl interactions played a decisive role in the molecular packing. As a consequence of the geometric requirements imposed by the perfluorophenyl–phenyl interactions, packing parameters appropriate for a topochemical triacetylene polymerization in the sense of either a 1,6‐ or a 1,4‐polyaddition along different crystallographic axes were observed in two cases, and UV irradiation led to successful polymerization. Raman as well as solid‐state ¹³C NMR spectra of the obtained polymers revealed that the polymerization had predominantly proceeded in the form of a 1,4‐polyaddition.     

Reversible and Stepwise Single-Crystal-to-Single-Crystal Transformation of a Platinum(II) Complex with Vapochromic Luminescence

The vapochromic single-crystal-to-single-crystal (SCSC) transformation of a highly luminescent Pt^II complex bearing an N-heterocyclic carbene [Pt(CN)₂(tBu-impy)] (tBu-impyH⁺=1-tert-butyl-3-(2-pyridyl)-1H-imidazolium) is reported. The trihydrate form of the complex, which exhibits blue ³MMLCT emission owing to weak Pt⋅⋅⋅Pt interactions, changed its luminescence color from blue to yellowish-green upon the desorption of water molecules while keeping the high emission quantum yield of more than 0.45. Variable-temperature and continuous in-situ tracking of single-crystal X-ray diffraction measurements revealed that the SCSC transformation proceeds reversibly by the release and reabsorption of water molecules, thereby changing the stacked structure slightly. As a result, the dynamics of vapor-induced SCSC transformation were elucidated: that the anhydrous form returned to the original trihydrate form in a two-step process under a water vapor atmosphere. In addition, the Pt^II complex exhibited a similar SCSC response accompanied by a luminescence color change in the presence of methanol vapor, while being inactive toward ethanol vapor.     

Facile Synthesis of DendriMac Polymers via the Combination of Living Anionic Polymerization and Highly Efficient Coupling Reactions

Two DendriMac polymers (Dendri‐hydr and Dendri‐click) are efficiently and conveniently synthesized via the combination of living anionic polymerization (LAP) and hydrosilylation/click chemistry. Based on the end‐capping of DPE derivatives (DPE‐SiH and DPE‐DA) toward polymeric anions, the polymeric core and arms are effectively synthesized, and the base polymers can be regarded as polymeric bricks. Hydrosilylation and click chemistry are used as coupling reactions to construct the DendriMac polymers with high efficiency and convenience. The numbers of branched arms are calculated by SEC as 5.84 and 6.08 for Dendri‐hydr and Dendri‐click, respectively, which indicate that the DendriMac architectures exhibit high structural integrity. Because of its independence, high efficiency, and convenience, the whole construction can be regarded as the “building of polymeric bricks.”

     

Single-Crystal-to-Single-Crystal Topochemical Synthesis of a Collagen-inspired Covalent Helical Polymer

There is much demand for crystalline covalent helical polymers. Inspired by the helical structure of collagen, we synthesized a covalent helical polymer wherein the repeating dipeptide Gly-Pro units are connected by triazole linkages. We synthesized an azide and alkyne-modified dipeptide monomer made up of the repeating amino acid sequence of collagen. In its crystals, the monomer molecules aligned in head-to-tail fashion with proximally placed azide and alkyne forming supramolecular helices. At 60 °C, the monomer underwent single-crystal-to-single-crystal (SCSC) topochemical azide-alkyne cycloaddition polymerization, yielding a covalent helical polymer as confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) analysis. Compared to the monomer crystals, the polymer single-crystals were very strong and showed three-fold increase in Young's modulus, which is higher than collagen, many synthetic polymers and other materials. The crystals of this covalent helical polymer could bear loads as high as 1.5 million times of their own weight without deformation. These crystals could also withstand high compression force and did not disintegrate even at an applied force of 98 kN. Such light-weight strong materials are in demand for various technological applications.     

ATRP和点击化学结合法制备PDMAAm—PDMS—PDMAAm嵌段聚合物

采用原子转移自由基聚合（ATRP）法制得了端基分别为烯丙基和溴原子的聚二甲基丙烯酰胺（PDMAAm），经叠氮基亲核取代后与端炔基聚二甲基硅氧烷进行点击反应，得到两亲三嵌段聚合物。利用^1HNMR、FTIR、GPC等测试方法对聚合物的结构进行了表征。结果表明：采用ATRP法合成的PDMAAm均聚物分子量分布较窄，通过点击化学法将热力学不相容的亲水性PDMAAm链段及疏水性聚二甲基硅氧烷（PDMS）链段制备PDMAAmPDMS—PDMAAm嵌段聚合物，是一种高效易行的方法。     

Synthesis of Hydrophobic Polymer Brushes on Silica Nanoparticles Via the Combination of Surface-Initiated ATRP,ROP and Click Chemistry

A fascinating nanoobject, hydrophobic polymer brushes with a hard core of silica nanoparticles and a relatively soft shell of polystyrene-block-poly(? -caprolactone) (PS-b-PCL), was easily constructed by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of styrene, ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of ?-caprolactone and click reaction. The structure and morphology of the as-prepared hybrid nanomaterials were characterized and confirmed by FTIR, ¹H-NMR, TGA and TEM. We believe that the breakthrough associated with formation of such a complex nanoobject would open a door for the fabrication of novel functional nanomaterials or nanodevices with designable structure and tailor-made properties.     

Crystal‐to‐Crystal Synthesis of Helically Ordered Polymers of Trehalose by Topochemical Polymerization

The synthesis of crystalline helical polymers of trehalose via topochemical azide–alkyne cycloaddition (TAAC) of a trehalose‐based monomer is presented. An unsymmetrical trehalose derivative having azide and alkyne crystallizes in two different forms having almost similar packing. Upon heating, both the crystals undergo TAAC reaction to form crystalline polymers. Powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD) studies revealed that the monomers in both the crystals polymerize in a crystal‐to‐crystal fashion; circular dichroism (CD) studies of the product crystals revealed that the formed polymer is helically ordered. This solvent‐free, catalyst‐free polymerization method that eliminates the tedious purification of the polymeric product exemplifies the advantage of topochemical polymerization reaction over traditional solution‐phase polymerization.     

Synthesis and Mechanical Properties of Polypropylene-based Polymer Hybrids via Controlled Radical Polymerization

Isotactic polypropylene-based graft copolymers linking poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(n-butyl acrylate) and polystyrene were successfully synthesized by a controlled radical polymerization with isotactic polypropylene (iPP) macroinitiator. The hydroxylated iPP, prepared by propylene/10-undecen-1-ol copolymerization with a metallocene/methyl-aluminoxane/triisobutylaluminum catalyst system, was treated with 2-bromoisobutyryl bromide to produce a Br-group containing iPP (PP-g-Br). The resulting PP-g-Br could initiate controlled radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate, n-butyl acrylate and styrene by using a copper catalyst system, leading to a variety of iPP-based graft copolymers with a different content of the corresponding polar segment. These graft copolymers demonstrated unique mechanical properties dependent upon the kind and content of the grafted polar segment.     

硫醇-烯/炔点击化学合成功能聚合物材料

点击化学具有反应条件温和、产率高、速率快、产物容易分离以及高度选择性等优点,成为国内外研究的热点之一。硫醇-烯/炔光化学反应作为新型高效的点击反应近年来备受关注,通过这种方法制备高性能及功能性聚合物材料也是新材料领域的前沿研究内容。本文综述了近年来硫醇-烯/炔点击化学在功能聚合物材料合成中的研究成果,详细介绍了硫醇-烯/炔点击化学的特点、优势及其反应机理,重点归纳了利用硫醇-烯/炔点击化学合成线型、超支化、交联等分子结构的功能聚合物材料的研究进展,并对由这种方法合成功能聚合物的单体特点、反应路线及产物应用进行了阐述,最后对硫醇-烯/炔点击化学的进一步应用前景做了展望。     

Synthesis of Functional Poly(disubstituted acetylene)s through the Post‐Polymerization Modification Route

We report the recent progress in the preparation of functional poly(disubstituted acetylene)s (PDSAs) through post‐polymerization modification routes. The metathesis polymerization of disubstituted acetylene monomers activated by Mo/W–Sn complex catalysts, which do not tolerate highly polar functionalities, was assumed to be a key step in the polymer synthetic procedures. We and other groups have explored several approaches to prepare PDSAs with latent reactive functionalities, which are inactive to Mo/W–Sn complex catalysts but can be used as highly reactive sites for post‐polymerization modification. Click chemistry, Michael‐type addition reactions, the use of activated esters and other strategies are demonstrated by recently published examples. These works indicate that post‐polymerization modification is an efficient route to the synthesis of various functional PDSAs.     

Synthesis of eight- and star-shaped poly(epsilon-caprolactone)s and their amphiphilic derivatives

Spirocyclic tin dialkoxides are unique initiators for the ring-expansion polymerization of lactones leading to complex, but well-defined macromolecular architectures. In a first example, epsilon-caprolactone (epsilon CL) was polymerized, followed by the resumption of polymerization of a mixture of epsilon CL and epsilon CL alpha-substituted by a chloride (alpha Cl epsilon CL), so leading to "living" eight-shaped chains. Upon hydrolysis of the alkoxides, a four-arm star-shaped copolyester was formed, whose each arm was grafted by conversion of the chloride units into azides, followed by the Huisgen's [3+2] cycloaddition of alkyne end-capped poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) onto the azide substituents. The complexity of this novel amphiphilic architecture was increased further by substituting the four-arm interconnecting PCL by an eight-shaped PCL. In a preliminary step, epsilon CL was polymerized followed by a few units of epsilon CL alpha-substituted by an acrylate. The intramolecular photo-crosslinking of the acrylates adjacent to the tin dialkoxides was effective in stabilizing the eight-shaped polyester while preserving the chain growth sites. This quite unusual tetrafunctional macroinitiator was used to copolymerize epsilon CL and alpha Cl epsilon CL, followed by hydrolysis of the alkoxides, conversion of the chloride units into azides and grafting of the four arms by PEO (see above). This architecture reported for the very first time is nothing but a symmetrical four-tail eight-shaped copolyester macromolecule.     

Solid-Phase Radical Polymerization of Halogen-Bond-Based Crystals and Applications to Pre-Shaped Polymer Materials

Liquid vinyl monomers were converted into solid crystals via halogen bonding. They underwent solid-phase radical polymerizations through heating at 40 °C or ultraviolet photo-irradiation (365 nm). The X-ray crystallography analysis showed the high degree of monomer alignment in the crystals. The polymerizations of the solid monomer crystals yielded polymers with high molecular weights and relatively low dispersities because of the high degree of the monomer alignment in the crystal. As a unique application of this system, the crystalized monomers were assembled to pre-determined structures, followed by solid-phase polymerization, to obtain a two-layer polymer sheet and a three-dimensional house-shaped polymer material. The two-layer sheet contained a unique asymmetric pore structure and exhibited a solvent-responsive shape memory property and may find applications to asymmetric membranes and polymer actuators.     

SuFEx‐Based Synthesis of Polysulfates

High‐molecular‐weight polysulfates are readily formed from aromatic bis(silyl ethers) and bis(fluorosulfates) in the presence of a base catalyst. The reaction is fast and proceeds well under neat conditions or in solvents, such as dimethyl formamide or N‐methylpyrrolidone, to provide the desired polymers in nearly quantitative yield. These polymers are more resistant to chemical degradation than their polycarbonate analogues and exhibit excellent mechanical, optical, and oxygen‐barrier properties.