Click Chemistry and Controlled Radical Polymerization for Functional Materials
This community develops molecular assembly techniques and polymer synthesis methods to create materials for biomedical applications, additive manufacturing, and catalysis.
The work centers on two primary reaction classes: click chemistry, specifically copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition for forming triazoles, and controlled radical polymerization, including atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT). These methods are applied to synthesize block copolymers, hydrogels, and functional polymers. A significant portion of the research involves bioorthogonal reactions for labeling proteins and nucleic acids, as well as the design of artificial metalloenzymes. The recurring focus on copper catalysts, azides, and triazoles indicates a strong emphasis on efficient, modular molecular construction for both material science and biological contexts.
The community is most prominent in research involving copper, where it accounts for 0.4% of all copper-related papers, and ruthenium, contributing 0.5% of that element’s research. It also holds a notable share of bromine research at 0.7%.
The group comprises 9,011 papers, with the highest publication volumes in Macromolecules, Polymer Chemistry, and the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Recent work continues to focus on the integration of click chemistry with hydrogel synthesis for regenerative medicine and the development of oxygen-tolerant, light-driven polymerization methods for synthesizing degradable copolymers.