Strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition polymerization as a route toward tailored functional polymers

The preparation of polymers under mild conditions, using highly efficient reactions, allows the incorporation of new, functional monomer units. Here, we explore the use of strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition (SPAAC) as a polymerization tool. We show that a polymer library with diverse thermal and stimulus-responsive properties can be rapidly prepared in minutes. This polymerization proceeds without heating or the addition of catalyst, which enables the preservation of sensitive moieties, such as stimulus-responsive spiropyran structures. Solid- and solution-state stimulus-responsiveness from these sensitive groups are demonstrated within the SPAAC-polymerized products.