Thiol-ene click chemistry

Abstract

"Click chemistry", introduced by Sharpless in 2001, becomes a new synthetic method used in areas such as drugs, polymers and materials rapidly because of its high efficiency, high selectivity and reliable characteristics. With the further research on click chemistry, the types of it are increasing continuously and the scope of application is also expanding. Radical-mediated or nucleophile-initiated thiol-ene reaction is a novel kind of click reactions, which shows the characteristics of click chemistry. Starting from the concept, characteristic and types of click chemistry, the mechanism and the wide applications of thiol-ene reaction in preparation of functional polymers and topologic macromolecules, polymeric materials surface modification and biomaterials are emphasized. Furthermore, the latest research based on thiol-ene chemistry is summarized. The prospects of thiol-ene reaction are also discussed.