Repurposing Mitsunobu Reactions as a Generic Approach toward Polyethylene Derivatives

Broad scope of functionality and controllable degree of functionalization are intriguing goals for the development of polar-group-functionalized polyethylene materials. Herein, we propose a generic strategy of using widely available starting materials (i.e., poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate), EVA) and mild Mitsunobu functionalization conditions to prepare over 30 polyethylene derivatives. No noble transition metal catalysts (e.g., Ru, Mo, Pd, etc.) or corrosive/explosive reagents (e.g., HBr, NaN₃, C₂H₄, H₂, etc.) are used in the synthesis, while functional groups such as azide, aldehyde, norbornene, and thiol can be easily installed, with tunable content as high as 18 mol %. Using this practical method, we successfully prepared polyethylene-derivatized membranes with excellent antimicrobial and fluorescent properties.