[Ph3C][B(C6F5)4]: A Highly Efficient Metal-Free Single-Component Initiator for the Helical-Sense-Selective Cationic Copolymerization of Chiral Aryl Isocyanides and Achiral Aryl Isocyanides

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/anie.201803300

Commercially available [Ph₃C][B(C₆F₅)₄] served as a highly efficient metal-free and single-component initiator not only for the carbocationic polymerization of polar and bulky aryl isocyanides with extremely high activity up to 1.2×10⁷ g of polymer/(mol_cat. h), but also for the helical-sense-selective polymerization of chiral aryl isocyanides and copolymerization with achiral aryl isocyanides to afford high-molecular-weight functional poly(aryl isocyanide)s with good solubility as well as AIE characteristics and/or a single-handed helical conformation.