Facile fabrication of polymer network using click chemistry and their computational study

Click reaction is a very fast, high yield with no byproduct, biocompatible, tolerant to surrounded medium, and very specific cycloaddition reaction between azides and alkynes to form triazole. They are widely being employed in the synthesis of various polymeric materials. Here, the design, fabrication, and characterization of hydrogel prepared using click reaction have been reported. At first telechelic acetylene precursor for click reaction is prepared from diisocyanatohexane and propargyl alcohol in the presence of triethylamine. The azide derivatives of poly(hydroxyethylmethacrylate), i.e., poly(HEMA), are successfully prepared following two different routes.  In route 1, esterification of bromopropionic acid is performed with HEMA monomer using N, N′-Dicyclohexylcarbodiimide/4-Dimethylaminopyridine (DCC/DMAP) as a catalyst followed by replacing bromide by azide moiety. Free radical polymerization of the fabricated monomer is then performed under N2 atmosphere using Azobisisobutyroni...