Modern society’s progress is closely related to advancements in polymeric material design. These materials provide essential utility across many sectors, ranging from daily-use plastics (toys, kitchen supplies) to healthcare (catheters), electronics (chips), and energy (batteries). Nevertheless, as technology rapidly evolves, certain fields demand more specialized techniques and functionalities, such as straightforward synthetic approaches that yield multifunctional polymers, capabilities that conventional polymers cannot fulfill. The need for specific functions drives the development of next-generation functional materials. In this regard, synthetic chemistry plays a crucial role in materials development.

Azide functional groups have long been recognized as powerful and versatile intermediates in organic and macromolecular chemistry due to their exceptional reactivity and rich transformation chemistry. Their participation in classical reactions such as the Staudinger reduction and the widely adopted copper-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) has established azides as indispensable tools in (macro)molecular design. Recent developments in light-driven azide chemistry have further expanded their utility, enabling unprecedented control over reactivity and improving sustainability through photochemical activation.

This talk will focus on our ongoing efforts to harness the unique behaviour of azides for advanced macromolecular engineering, either by activating the azide functionality using light or by synthesizing triazole-based materials through azide-based click reactions.

Short Biography of the Speaker:

Dr. Azra Kocaarslan is a Liebig Fellow and Junior Research Group Leader at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany, where she leads research in synthetic and applied photochemistry with a focus on polymer science and macromolecular design. Her work centers on light-driven chemical transformations, photoinduced polymerization, and fluorescence functional materials. She obtained her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Istanbul Technical University (ITU) in 2021 under the supervision of Prof. Yusuf Yagci, with a thesis on Nanomaterials in Macromolecular Synthesis. Her doctoral research pioneered the use of two-dimensional materials and up-conversion systems as light-activated initiators in polymer chemistry. After her PhD she joined Young Investigator Preparation Program at KIT where she focused on sustainable polymer design, photolytic organic rearrangements, and azide-based photochemistry for polymer modification. Since February 2025, she has joined KIT Institute Functional Interfaces as a research group leader, heading an independent research program on unconventional fluorescence behaviour in polymers.