[Ph3C][B(C6F5)(4)]: A Highly Efficient Metal-Free Single-Component Initiator for the Helical-Sense-Selective Cationic Copolymerization of Chiral Aryl Isocyanides and Achiral Aryl Isocyanides

Commercially available [Ph3C][B(C6F5)(4)] served as a highly efficient metal-free and single-component initiator not only for the carbocationic polymerization of polar and bulky aryl isocyanides with extremely high activity up to 1.2x10(7)g of polymer/(mol(cat.)h), but also for the helical-sense-selective polymerization of chiral aryl isocyanides and copolymerization with achiral aryl isocyanides to afford high-molecular-weight functional poly(aryl isocyanide)s with good solubility as well as AIE characteristics and/or a single-handed helical conformation.