Functionalization of step-growth polymers by click chemistries

At the start of this research in 2006, the application of click chemistry on polymers was gaining a lot of attention, also in the field of aliphatic polyesters. However, nothing was known yet about the opportunities and limitations to combine this range of efficient linking chemistries with an industrial important class of polymers, namely the step‐growth polymers. In this thesis, research was focused on the synthesis of polyesters, polyamides and polyurethanes by step‐growth polymerization reactions and their functionalization via this chemical concept of click chemistry. Three types of click chemistry have been applied: the copper‐catalyzed alkyne‐azide cycloaddition reaction (CuAAC), thiol‐yne and thiol-maleimide coupling reactions. For each type of step‐growth polymer, an appropriate monomer containing a functional pendant group was designed and incorporated in the polymer backbone. According to the chemical nature of these pendant groups, a different type of click chemistry has been applied for the functionalization of the step‐growth polymers. Depending on the characteristics of the coupling reagents, the polymer properties can be tailored. A couple of application directions have been screened, demonstrating the perspective of new opportunities for these step‐growth polymers