The combination of the Passerini reaction and olefin cross‐metathesis is shown to be a very useful approach for the divergent synthesis of dendrimers. Castor oil‐derived platform chemicals, such as 10‐undecenoic acid and 10‐undecenal, are reacted in a Passerini reaction with an unsaturated isocyanide to obtain a core unit having three terminal double bonds. Subsequent olefin cross‐metathesis with tert‐butyl acrylate, followed by hydrogenation of the double bonds and hydrolysis of the tert‐butyl ester, leads to an active core unit bearing three carboxylic acid groups as reactive sites. Iterative steps of the Passerini reaction with 10‐undecenal and 10‐isocyanodec‐1‐ene for branching, and olefin cross‐metathesis with tert‐butyl acrylate, followed by hydrogenation and hydrolysis allow the synthesis of a third‐generation dendrimer. All steps of the synthesis are carefully characterized by NMR, GPC, MS, and IR.
Cross‐linked silicone elastomers constructed with dynamic‐covalent boronic esters are first synthesized by photoinitiated radical thiol−ene “click” chemistry. The resultant samples can be cut with a sharp knife into two pieces and then healed via the reversibility of the boronic ester cross‐linkages to restore the original silicone sample within 30 min. Regulation of luminescent properties is achieved by incorporating organic dye into the elastomers through a “one‐pot” thiol–ene reaction. The proposed synthesis procedure demonstrates a new strategy to produce boronic acid silicone materials capable of self‐healing without external forces.
Understanding the interactions of dendrimers as delivery vectors with biomembranes is important for functional optimization. Here, coarse‐grained molecular dynamics simulations are employed to study the interactions between a surface‐modified dendrimer with short peptides and lipid bilayers under physiological and low pH conditions. The peptide consists of three histidines (H) with the pH‐sensitive property and an arginine (R). It is found that the peptide‐dendrimer conjugate either adheres to or penetrates through the negatively charged, asymmetrical bilayer, dependent on the pH value. Calculation of the potential of mean force shows that the penetration is energy favorable at low pH. The conjugate can lead to membrane thinning with enhanced permeability. Inspired by the results, a possible route is proposed for gene delivery using the non‐specific electrostatic interaction adjusted by the pH environment.
Polymer‐based crosslinked networks with intrinsic self‐repairing ability have emerged due to their built‐in ability to repair physical damages. Here, novel dual sulfide–disulfide crosslinked networks (s‐ssPxNs) are reported exhibiting rapid and room temperature self‐healability within seconds to minutes, with no extra healing agents and no change under any environmental conditions. The method to synthesize these self‐healable networks utilizes a combination of well‐known crosslinking chemistry: photoinduced thiol‐ene click‐type radical addition, generating lightly sulfide‐crosslinked polysulfide‐based networks with excess thiols, and their oxidation, creating dynamic disulfide crosslinkages to yield the dual s‐ssPxNs. The resulting s‐ssPxN networks show rapid self‐healing within 30 s to 30 min at room temperature, as well as self‐healing elasticity with reversible viscoelastic properties. These results, combined with tunable self‐healing kinetics, demonstrate the versatility of the method as a new means to synthesize smart multifunctional polymeric materials.
Here, this study overcomes the current barriers to efficient solid‐phase synthesis of high‐generation dendrimers by decreasing the loading ratio on the resin. G7 inverse poly(amidoamine) dendrimer is now prepared, for the first time, through a solid‐phase synthesis using only 50% of the available reactive sites and by choosing a large resin. This preparation takes only 15 d to afford highly pure product in 80% yield with precipitation being the only purification procedure used. The results clearly show the amount of the initial monomer loaded on the resin to be a vital factor for the ability to use solid‐phase synthesis to produce large dendrimers. This finding also sets stage for the applications of solid‐phase synthesis for the preparation of other macromolecules.
The synthesis of thiol‐functionalized long‐chain highly branched polymers (LCHBPs) has been accomplished in combination of ring‐opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) and thiol‐Michael addition click reaction. A monotelechelic polymer with a terminal acrylate and many pendent thiol groups is first prepared through adding an internal cis‐olefin terminating agent to the reaction mixture immediately after the completion of the living ROMP, and then utilized as an ABn‐type macromonomer in subsequent thiol‐ene reaction between acrylate and thiol, yielding LCHBPs as the reaction time prolonged. Au nanoparticles are then covalently conjugated onto the surface of thiol‐functionalized LCHBP to fabricate novel hybrid nanostructures, which is shown as one interesting application of such functionalized metathesis polymers. This facile approach can be extended toward the fabrication of novel nanomaterials with sophisticated structures and tunable multifunctionalities.
A thiofunctional thiazolidine is introduced as a new low‐molar‐mass building block for the introduction of cysteine residues via a thiol‐ene reaction. Allyl‐functional polyglycidol (PG) is used as a model polymer to demonstrate polymer‐analogue functionalization through reaction with the unsaturated side‐chains. A modified trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBSA) assay is used for the redox‐insensitive quantification and a precise final cysteine content can be predetermined at the polymerization stage. Native chemical ligation at cysteine‐functional PG is performed as a model reaction for a chemoselective peptide modification of this polymer. The three‐step synthesis of the thiofunctional thiazolidine reactant, together with the standard thiol‐ene coupling and the robust quantification assay, broadens the toolbox for thiol‐ene chemistry and offers a generic and straightforward approach to cysteine‐functional materials.
Photoactive materials are actively researched, piloting breakthroughs that have enriched fundamental understanding of science, and have led to real applications. Tetraphenylethene, a photoactive molecule that is of interest from fundamental and applied perspectives, features photochemical properties that are not exploited in the design of photoactive, dual‐emissive materials. Here, tetraphenylethene‐based, dual‐emissive dendrimers are constructed via a synthetic approach that involves a photochemical reaction that exploits the photochemistry of tetraphenylethene. These dendrimers are emissive in solution and in the aggregate state with tunable dual emissions at 368 and 469 nm. The photochemical reaction also tunes the size of the aggregates, increasing the size after UV irradiation. The reported synthetic strategy is a direct and facile approach to accessing dual‐emissive macromolecules, especially tetraphenylethene‐based systems for real applications.
Thiol‐click reactions lead to polymeric materials with a wide range of interesting mechanical, electrical, and optical properties. However, this reaction mechanism typically results in bulk materials with a low glass transition temperature (Tg) due to rotational flexibility around the thioether linkages found in networks such as thiol‐ene, thiol‐epoxy, and thiol‐acrylate systems. This report explores the thiol‐maleimide reaction utilized for the first time as a solvent‐free reaction system to synthesize high‐Tg thermosetting networks. Through thermomechanical characterization via dynamic mechanical analysis, the homogeneity and Tgs of thiol‐maleimide networks are compared to similarly structured thiol‐ene and thiol‐epoxy networks. While preliminary data show more heterogeneous networks for thiol‐maleimide systems, bulk materials exhibit Tgs 80 °C higher than other thiol‐click systems explored herein. Finally, hollow tubes are synthesized using each thiol‐click reaction mechanism and employed in low‐ and high‐temperature environments, demonstrating the ability to withstand a compressive radial 100 N deformation at 100 °C wherein other thiol‐click systems fail mechanically.
Designing gradient structures, mimicking biological materials, such as pummelo peels and tendon, is a promising strategy for developing advanced materials with superior energy damping capacities. Here a facile and effective approach for fabricating polymers with composition gradients at millimeter length scale is presented. The gradient thiol‐ene polymers (TEPs) are created by the use of density difference of ternary thiol‐ene‐ene precursors and the subsequent photo‐crosslinking via thiol‐ene reaction. The compositional gradients are analyzed via differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), compressive modulus testing, atomic force microscopy (AFM) indentation, and swelling measurements. In contrast to homogeneous TEPs networks, the resultant gradient polymer shows a broader effective damping temperature range combining with good mechanical properties. The present result provides an effective route toward high damping materials by the fabrication of gradient structures.
A novel strategy for the incorporation of carbon dioxide into polymers is introduced. For this purpose, the Ugi five‐component condensation (Ugi‐5CC) of an alcohol, CO2, an amine, an aldehyde, and an isocyanide is used to obtain step‐growth monomers. Polymerization via thiol‐ene reaction or polycondensation with diphenyl carbonate gives diversely substituted polyurethanes or alternating polyurethane‐polycarbonates, respectively. Furthermore, the application of 1,12‐diaminododecane and 1,6‐diisocyanohexane as bifunctional components in the Ugi‐5CC directly results in the corresponding polyamide bearing methyl carbamate side chains ( = 19 850 g mol−1). The latter polymer is further converted into the corresponding polyhydantoin in a highly straightforward fashion.
A series of high‐efficiency, full‐color fluorescent elastomers based on polysiloxane matrix prepared by an easy thiol‐ene “click” reaction is reported here. It is found for the first time that the same elastomer can emit transformable colors by conveniently altering the excitation wavelength because of the effect of energy transfer and the “fluorescence switch” of lanthanide ions. A fluent change in emission colors can also be feasible and conveniently reproducible by varying the stoichiometric ratio of lanthanide ions and rhodamine‐B in solution and in polymer elastomers. The obtained elastomers are further coated onto commercially available UV‐LED cells from the solution medium followed by an in situ cross‐linking step.
A straightforward synthetic procedure for the double modification and polymer–polymer conjugation of telechelic polymers is performed through amine‐thiol‐ene conjugation. Thiolactone end‐functionalized polymers are prepared via two different methods, through controlled radical polymerization of a thiolactone‐containing initiator, or by modification of available end‐functionalized polymers. Next, these different linear polymers are treated with a variety of amine/acrylate‐combinations in a one‐pot procedure, creating a library of tailored end‐functionalized polymers. End group conversions are monitored via SEC, NMR, and MALDI‐TOF analysis, confirming the quantitative modification after each step. Finally, this strategy is applied for the synthesis of block copolymers via polymer–polymer conjugation and the successful outcome is analyzed via LCxSEC measurements.
A simple method is reported for the preparation of double‐helical structures through a series of achiral random and block copolymers poly(styrene‐co‐4‐vinylbenzyl triazolylmethyl methylthymine) (PS‐co‐PVBT) with various T units on the side chains through click reactions of poly(styrene‐co‐4‐vinylbenzyl azide) (PS‐co‐PVBN3) with propargyl thymine (PT) and also the synthesis of the A‐appended pyrene derivative (A‐Py) through click chemistry. This double‐helical structure is observed from achiral random‐coil polystyrene (PS) main chains, stabilized through the combination of multiple A–T hydrogen bonds, and π–π stacking between pyrene units and single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs).
The first polymer bearing exTTF units intended for the use in electrical charge storage is presented. The polymer undergoes a redox reaction involving two electrons at −0.20 V vs Fc/Fc+ and is applied as active cathode material in a Li‐organic battery. The received coin cells feature a theoretical capacity of 132 mAh g−1, a cell potential of 3.5 V, and a lifetime exceeding more than 250 cycles.
New macromolecules such as dendrimers are increasingly needed to drive breakthroughs in diverse areas, for example, healthcare. Here, the authors report hybrid antimicrobial dendrimers synthesized by functionalizing organometallic dendrimers with quaternary ammonium groups or 2‐mercaptobenzothiazole. The functionalization tunes the glass transition temperature and antimicrobial activities of the dendrimers. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy reveals that the dendrimers form free radicals, which have significant implications for catalysis and biology. In vitro antimicrobial assays indicate that the dendrimers are potent antimicrobial agents with activity against multidrug‐resistant pathogens such as methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin‐resistant Enterococcus faecium as well as other microorganisms. The functionalization increases the activity, especially in the quaternary ammonium group‐functionalized dendrimers. Importantly, the activities are selective because human epidermal keratinocytes cells and BJ fibroblast cells exposed to the dendrimers are viable after 24 h.
Janus particles with anisotropic biofunctionalities are perfect models to mimic anisotropic architectures and directional interactions that occur in nature. It is therefore highly desirable to develop reliable and efficient methods to synthesize biofunctional Janus particles. Herein, a facile method combining seeded‐emulsion polymerization and thiol‐click chemistry has been developed to synthesize Janus particles with glucose moieties on one side. These biofunctional Janus particles show region‐selective binding of protein, which represents a big step toward biomimicry, and demonstrates the potential of the bioJanus particles for targeted drug delivery and binding.
A chemically cross‐linked but remarkably (re)processable shape‐memory polymer (SMP) is designed by cross‐linking poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) stars via the efficient triazolinedione click chemistry, based on the very fast and reversible Alder–ene reaction of 1,2,4‐triazoline‐3,5‐dione (TAD) with indole compounds. Typically, a six‐arm star‐shaped PCL functionalized by indole moieties at the chain ends is melt‐blended with a bisfunctional TAD, directly resulting in a cross‐linked PCL‐based SMP without the need of post‐curing treatment. As demonstrated by the stress relaxation measurement, the labile character of the TAD–indole adducts under stress allows for the solid‐state plasticity reprocessing of the permanent shape at will by compression molding of the raw cross‐linked material, while keeping excellent shape‐memory properties.
In the last decades, metallopolymers have received great attention due to their various applications in the fields of materials and chemistry. In this article, a neutral 18‐electron exo‐substituted η4‐cyclopentadiene CpCo(I) unit‐containing polymer is prepared in a controlled/“living” fashion by combining facile click chemistry and ring‐opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). This Co(I)‐containing polymer is further used as a heterogeneous macromolecular catalyst for atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of methyl methacrylate and styrene.
The precise construction of a hierarchical complex pattern on substrates is required for numerous applications. Here, a strategy to fabricate well‐defined hierarchical three dimensional (3D) patterns on polymer substrate is developed. This technique, which combines photolithography and visible light‐induced surface initiated living graft crosslinking polymerization (VSLGCP), can effectively graft 3D patterns onto polymer substrate with high fidelity and controllable height. Owing to the living nature of VSLGCP, hierarchical 3D patterns can be prepared when a sequential living graft crosslinking process is performed on the first formed patterns. As a proof‐of‐concept, a reactive two layer 3D pattern with a morphology of lateral stripe on vertical stripe is prepared and employed to separately immobilize model biomolecules, e.g., biotin and IgG. This two component pattern can specifically interact with corresponding target proteins successfully, indicating that this strategy has potential applications in the fabrication of polymer‐based multicomponent biomolecule microarrays.
