Superhydrophobic Coatings Composed of Multifunctional Polymers Synthesized Using Successive Modification of Dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-thione

Polymer synthesis via multicomponent reactions (MCRs) has opened avenues in polymer chemistry and led to the development of various types of functional polymers. Herein, we developed a strategy to prepare multifunctional polymers via the successive modification of dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-thione (DHPMT), which can be generated by the tricomponent Biginelli reaction. Four hydrophobic polymers were efficiently prepared by using DHPMT derivatives. These polymers can be dip-coated onto the oxidized copper mesh to obtain superhydrophobic meshes because of the strong attractive forces between the DHPMT derivatives and Cu(II). The optimized mesh has self-cleaning properties and outstanding stability in various liquid environments; it has also been successfully applied for oil/water separation with high separation efficiency and good durability. These results demonstrate that successive modification of DHPMT is a promising method for fabricating multifunctional polymers, which may have applications in polymer chemistry and materials science.

Stepping Further from Coupling Tools: Development of Functional Polymers via the Biginelli Reaction

Multicomponent reactions (MCRs) have been used to prepare polymers with appealing functions. The Biginelli reaction, one of the oldest and most famous MCRs, has sparked new scientific discoveries in polymer chemistry since 2013. Recent years have seen the Biginelli reaction stepping further from simple coupling tools; for example, the functions of the Biginelli product 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-(thi)ones (DHPM(T)) have been gradually exploited to develop new functional polymers. In this mini-review, we mainly summarize the recent progress of using the Biginelli reaction to identify polymers for biomedical applications. These polymers have been documented as antioxidants, anticancer agents, and bio-imaging probes. Moreover, we also provide a brief introduction to some emerging applications of the Biginelli reaction in materials and polymer science. Finally, we present our perspectives for the further development of the Biginelli reaction in polymer chemistry.

The Hantzsch Reaction in Polymer Chemistry: From Synthetic Methods to Applications

The Hantzcsh reaction is a robust four-component reaction for the efficient generation of 1,4-dihydropyridine (1,4-DHP) derivatives. Recently, this reaction has been introduced into polymer chemistry in order to develop polymers having 1,4-DHP structures in the main and/or side chains. The 1,4-DHP groups confer new properties/functions to the polymers. This mini-review summarizes the recent studies on the development of new functional polymers by using the Hantzsch reaction. Several synthetic approaches, including polycondensation, post-polymerization modification (PPM), monomer to polymer strategy, and one-pot strategy are introduced; different applications (protein conjugation, formaldehyde detection, drug carrier, and anti-bacterial adhesion) of the resulting polymers are emphasized. Meanwhile, the future development of the Hantzsch reaction in exploring new functional polymers is also discussed.

The Introduction of the Radical Cascade Reaction into Polymer Chemistry: A One-Step Strategy for Synchronized Polymerization and Modification

Polymerization and modification play central roles in polymer chemistry and are generally implemented in two steps, which suffer from the time-consuming two-step strategy and present considerable challenge for complete modification. By introducing the radical cascade reaction (RCR) into polymer chemistry, a one-step strategy is demonstrated to achieve synchronized polymerization and complete modification in situ. Attributed to the cascade feature of iron-catalyzed three-component alkene carboazidation RCR exhibiting carbon-carbon bond formation and carbon-azide bond formation with extremely high efficiency and selectivity in one step, radical cascade polymerization therefore enables the in situ synchronized polymerization through continuous carbon-carbon bond formation and complete modification through carbon-azide bond formation simultaneously. This results in a series of α, β, and γ poly(amino acid) precursors. This result not only expands the methodology library of polymerization, but also the possibility for polymer science to achieve functional polymers with tailored chemical functionality from in situ polymerization.

Synthesis of polymeric topological isomers based on sequential Ugi-4CR and thiol–yne click reactions with sequence-controlled amino-functionalized polymers

Polymeric topological isomers have been designed and synthesized with sequence-controlled amino functionalized polymers.