'Click' chemistry in polymer and material science: An update

The metal catalyzed azide/alkyne 'click' reaction (a variation of the Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction between terminal acetylenes and azides) has vastly increased in broadness and application in the field of polymer science. Thus, this reaction represents one of the few universal, highly efficient functionalization reactions, which combines both high efficiency with an enormously high tolerance of functional groups and solvents under highly moderate reaction temperatures (25-70 degrees C). The present review assembles an, update of this reaction in the field of polymer science (linear polymers, surfaces) with a focus on the synthesis of functionalized polymeric architectures and surfaces.