Mechanism‐Guided Design of Chain‐Growth Click Polymerization Based on a Thiol‐Michael Reaction

Abstract

AbstractThe development of chain‐growth click polymerization is challenging yet desirable in modern polymer chemistry. In this work, we reported a novel chain‐growth click polymerization based on the thiol‐Michael reaction. This polymerization could be performed efficiently under ambient conditions and spatiotemporally regulated by ultraviolet light, allowing the synthesis of sulfur‐containing polymers in excellent yields and high molecular weights. Density functional theory calculations indicated that the thiolate addition to the Michael acceptor is the rate‐determining step, and introducing the phenyl group could facilitate the chain‐growth process. This polymerization is a new type of chain‐growth click polymerization, which will provide a unique approach to creating functional polymers.