Cycloaddition reactions in material science

Abstract

Abstract Unexpectedly, the applications of pericyclic reaction and cycloadditions within the material science field are wide and lead to very innovative structures and architectures with several promising applications in biological, energetic, and optical devices. Diels–Alder reactions, 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions, and other pericyclic reactions have been applied in several works where different materials have been prepared for specific targets. Polymeric brushes provide an attractive functional interface for a variety of applications in materials and biomedical sciences. The implementation of artificial molecular machines in polymer science is an important objective that challenges chemists and physicists to access an entirely new class of smart materials. Graphene, fullerene, and carbon nanotubes can be easily functionalized by cycloadditions also in solid state solving their solubility problems in organic solvents. Electronic and optoelectronic materials are also prepared for smart devices. Many other examples offer a clear view of the importance of the cycloaddition reactions in this topic.