Ternary Acrylamide–Aldehyde–Thiol Photopolymerization toward Side Chain-Functionalized Degradable Polyamides

Installing functionalities onto polyamides can significantly enhance their performance and expand their application potential. In this work, we developed a ternary photoinduced copolymerization system comprising bis-acrylamide, renewable aromatic aldehyde, and dithiol monomers to construct linear polyamides bearing both mainchain and side chain functionalities. The polymerization proceeds via a concurrent thiol–aldehyde condensation and thiol–ene addition mechanism, achieving high monomer conversion within hours. The resulting polyamides feature mainchain dithioacetal linkages and pendant phenolic or furanic groups. These materials exhibit good thermal stability, adhesion, antioxidation properties, and degradability under oxidative, photolytic, or metal coordination conditions. This strategy offers a versatile platform for tailoring polyamide functionalities by employing structurally diverse aldehyde monomers.