In a new Cluster publication in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Postdoctoral Researcher Linh Duy Thai and PI Christopher Barner-Kowollik present a light-controlled thiol–yne photoclick reaction that works without added catalysts.
The team uses a spirothiopyran photoswitch as a photoactivatable thiol source. Upon irradiation, the molecule switches into a reactive form that enables thiol–yne click chemistry with activated alkynes. In the dark, the reaction remains switched off, providing precise temporal control.
The reaction proceeds under mild, oxygen-tolerant conditions and was demonstrated for postpolymerization modification and photopolymerization. This catalyst-free approach opens new possibilities for light-driven 3D printing and the controlled design of functional photomaterials.
© Thai, Kirschhöfer, Roth, Barner-Kowollik, Journal of the American Chemical Society (2026), CC BY 4.0