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Azide-alkyne click polymerization has become a powerful tool for polymer synthesis. However, the click polymerization between internal alkynes and azides is rarely utilized to prepare functional polymers. In this work, the polymerization reactions of activated internal alkyne monomers of tris(2-butynoate)s (1) with tetraphenylethene-containing diazides (2) were performed in dimethylformamide (DMF) under simple heating, affording four hyperbranched poly(methyltriazolylcarboxylate)s (hb-PMTCs) with high molecular weights (Mw up to 2.4 × 104) and regioregularities (up to 83.9%) in good yields. The hb-PMTCs are soluble in common organic solvents, and thermally stable with 5% weight loss temperatures up to 400 °C. They are non-emissive in dilute solution, but become highly emissive in aggregated state, exhibiting aggregation-induced emission characteristics. The polymers can generate fluorescent photopatterns with high resolution, and can work as fluorescent sensors to detect nitroaromatic explosive with high sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The great achievements of click chemistry have encouraged polymer scientists to use this reaction in their field. This review assembles an update of the advances of using azide-alkyne click polymerization to prepare functional polytriazoles (PTAs) with linear and hyperbranched structures. The Cu(I)-mediated click polymerization furnishes 1,4-regioregular PTAs, whereas, the metal-free click polymerization of propiolates and azides produces PTAs with 1,4-regioisomer contents up to 90%. The PTAs display advanced functions, such as aggregation-induced emission, thermal stability, biocompatibility and optical nonlinearity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]