Synthesis of multifunctional fused (hetero)cyclic polymers by alkyne-based polyannulations through C–H activation

<p indent=0mm>Fused (hetero)cyclic polymers are important functional polymers with wide applications in photoelectronic fields due to their unique photophysical properties. However, traditional synthetic methods toward such polymers normally require limited and expensive fused aromatic substrates, elaborate reaction control, complicated operation procedures, and painful isolation. These synthetic difficulties greatly restrict their accessibility. C–H-activated polyannulations of acetylenic monomers offer a facile and efficient way for the synthesis of fused (hetero)cyclic polymers by utilizing inert C–H as potential functional groups. With this strategy, complex fused (hetero)cycles can be generated <italic>in-situ</italic> in polymer backbones from simple and readily available reactants. Herein, recent progress on alkyne-based polyannulations derived from C–H activated reactions will be summarized with representative examples. The properties and functionalities of the obtained fused (hetero)cyclic polymers will also be introduced.