Facile functionalization of isotactic polypropylene by azide and alkyne groups for click chemistry application

This paper presents two facile methods to achieve functionalization of isotactic polypropylene (i-PP) by azide and alkyne groups. One method comprises metallocene-catalyzed isospecific propylene polymerization with dialkylzinc as chain transfer agent to produce iodo-terminated i-PP, which can be transformed to azide-terminated i-PP. The other utilizes hydroxyl-grafted i-PP as a raw material to react with bis(trichloromethyl)carbonate and propargyl amine, generating grafted alkyne groups. Both approaches are effective, controllable and safe. The azide-terminated and alkyne-grafted i-PP are readily applicable to click chemistry for construction of new i-PP architecture, e.g. long-chain branched i-PP. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.