Efficient Polymerization of Azide and Active Internal Alkynes

The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azides and active internal alkynes has been well studied, but is rarely utilized as a tool for polymer preparation. In this work, an efficient polymerization route is developed. Polycycloaddition of diazide (4) and bis(benzoylethynyl)-benzenes and -butane (3) at elevated temperature has produced the first examples of soluble 1,4,5-trisubstituted polytriazoles PI with satisfactory molecular weights (M(w) up to 16 400) in excellent yields (up to 98.6%). All the obtained polymers are thermally stable, losing merely 5% of their weights at temperatures higher than 367 °C. They exhibit higher refractive indices than some commercial plastics and can be crosslinked upon UV irradiation to generate a 3D photopattern with high resolution. The metal-free feature of such a methodology offers a facile tool to prepare functional materials free from the contamination of metal species.