Chemically Bonding Metal Atoms into a Polymer Chain
RESEARCH ARTICLE|Updated:2026-08-03
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Chemically Bonding Metal Atoms into a Polymer Chain
Chinese Journal of Polymer ScienceVol. 44, Pages: 1-8(2026)
Affiliations:
State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, and Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
Zhao, Z.; Huang, F.; Zhang, Y.; Peng, H. Chemically bonding metal atoms into a polymer chain. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-026-3779-2
Zihao Zhao, Fuyao Huang, Yifeng Zhang, et al. Chemically Bonding Metal Atoms into a Polymer Chain[J/OL]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 441-8.
Zhao, Z.; Huang, F.; Zhang, Y.; Peng, H. Chemically bonding metal atoms into a polymer chain. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-026-3779-2DOI:
Zihao Zhao, Fuyao Huang, Yifeng Zhang, et al. Chemically Bonding Metal Atoms into a Polymer Chain[J/OL]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 441-8.DOI: 10.1007/s10118-026-3779-2.
Chemically Bonding Metal Atoms into a Polymer Chain
Metal-backboned polymers have been proposed as a new class of materials with remarkable physical and chemical properties for applications in optoelectronics
magnetism
and energy. However
the number of metal atoms in their backbones is limited to less than 30 to date. This has prevented the systematic investigation of their properties. Herein
we report the synthesis of metal-backboned polymers with a polymerization degree of 169. Using gold as a model system
we identified that the controlled release of Ag
+
an electron-donating imidazole co-ligand
ligand steric/electronic effects
and elevated reaction temperature are key to achieving such long chains. The resulting metal-backboned polymers display hallmark polymer behaviors such as glass transition
together with a unique electronic structure featuring pronounced electron delocalization along the Au backbone and efficient room-temperature phosphorescence. This work provides an effective route to long-chain metal-backboned polymers and deepens the understanding of the electronic structures in one-dimensional metal backbones.
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