Multicomponent Polymerization of Alkynes, Amines, and Benzaldehyde toward Main-chain Charged Aggregation-induced Emission Polyelectrolytes

Qiu-Shuo Zhang; Bo Song; An-Jun Qin; Ben-Zhong Tang

doi:10.1007/s10118-026-3559-z

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Multicomponent Polymerization of Alkynes, Amines, and Benzaldehyde toward Main-chain Charged Aggregation-induced Emission Polyelectrolytes

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2026-03-26

- Multicomponent Polymerization of Alkynes, Amines, and Benzaldehyde toward Main-chain Charged Aggregation-induced Emission Polyelectrolytes
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 44, Issue 4, Pages: 988-995(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  a.State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Luminescence from Molecular Aggregates, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
  b.Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Aggregate Science, School of Science and Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), Longgang, Shenzhen 518172, China
- Author bio：
  
  songbo@scut.edu.cn (B.S.)
  msqinaj@scut.edu.cn (A.J.Q.)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-026-3559-z
  CLC：
- Received：09 November 2025，
  
  Accepted：03 January 2026，
  
  Online First：02 March 2026，
  
  Published：05 April 2026
- Accepted：
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Zhang, Q. S.; Song, B.; Qin, A. J.; Tang, B. Z. Multicomponent polymerization of alkynes, amines, and benzaldehyde toward main-chain charged aggregation-induced emission polyelectrolytes. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 988–995

Qiu-Shuo Zhang, Bo Song, An-Jun Qin, et al. Multicomponent Polymerization of Alkynes, Amines, and Benzaldehyde toward Main-chain Charged Aggregation-induced Emission Polyelectrolytes[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(4): 988-995.
Zhang, Q. S.; Song, B.; Qin, A. J.; Tang, B. Z. Multicomponent polymerization of alkynes, amines, and benzaldehyde toward main-chain charged aggregation-induced emission polyelectrolytes. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 988–995 DOI： 10.1007/s10118-026-3559-z.

Qiu-Shuo Zhang, Bo Song, An-Jun Qin, et al. Multicomponent Polymerization of Alkynes, Amines, and Benzaldehyde toward Main-chain Charged Aggregation-induced Emission Polyelectrolytes[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(4): 988-995. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-026-3559-z.

摘要

One-pot multicomponent polymerization enables the direct preparation of main-chain aggregation-induced emission (AIE) ionic polyelectrolytes with intrinsic AIE features from non-emissive monomers

which exhibit potent antimicrobial activity against bacteria and fungi.

Abstract

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) polymers have been extensively studied; however

the integration of AIE units into polyelectrolytes remains largely limited by the laborious multistep synthesis of pre-designed emissive monomers. Herein

we report a one-pot multicomponent polymerization method that directly produces main-chain charged polyelectrolytes with intrinsic AIE characteristics from non-emissive building blocks. By optimizing the monomer structures and reaction conditions

a series of soluble high-molecular-weight polymers with well-defined backbones were obtained in high yields. The resulting polyelectrolytes displayed robust AIE behavior

exhibiting fluorescence enhancement up to about 60-fold in an aqueous environment

and maintained excellent thermal stability. Owing to their cationic backbones

these polymers interact strongly with microbial surfaces and exhibit remarkable antimicrobial activities. This study establishes a synthetically efficient route to AIE polyelectrolytes and highlights their potential applications as multifunctional materials for bioimaging

antimicrobial therapy

and other applications.

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references

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