Synthesis and Characterization of Poly(iminofuran-arylene) Containing Bromomethyl Groups Linked at the 5-Position of a Furan Ring via the Multicomponent Polymerizations of Diisocyanides, Dialkylacetylene Dicarboxylates, and Bis(2-bromoacetyl)biphenyl

A catalyst-free multicomponent polymerization (MCP) was developed for the in situ construction of iminofuran-arylene-containing polymers (PIFAs) with high molecular weights (M-w, up to 24 300) and high yields (up to 89.7%). The structure of the PIFAs was characterized by gel permeation chromatography, Fourier transform infrared, and NMR. The thermal and photophysical properties of the PIFAs were also investigated. The results indicated that the PIFAs have good solubilities and thin-film processibility. Moreover, most of the obtained PIFAs have high refractive indices of visible light (400-800 nm) because of the existence of bromide, nitrogen, and oxygen atoms in each repeating unit. Some of the PIFAs showed aggregation-enhanced emission behavior and could be good candidates for bioimaging or therapy of specific cells. Because of the bromomethyl groups on the S-position of the furan in the side chain, the PIFAs are better macromolecular catalysts for living polymerizations that result in star-branched or brush polymers. Thus, this MCP provides a new kind of multifunctional material by modifying the different monomer structures and/or side chains.