Themed collection Molecularly Defined Polymers: Synthesis and Function

Jeremiah Johnson, Filip Du Prez and Elizabeth Elacqua introduce the Polymer Chemistry themed collection on Molecularly Defined Polymers: Synthesis and Function.

Ugi reaction offers opportunities to facilely access unprecedented sequence control and sequence-driven properties in polypeptoids.

Recent progress of hybrid, switchable, and cascade chain-growth polymerizations for the preparation of polymers with advanced chain structures with diverse compositions has been summarized.

The inclusion of main-chain tertiary amines in digital poly(phosphodiester)s allows synthesis of molecularly-defined achiral polymers and simplifies tandem mass spectrometry sequencing.

The design and synthesis of sequence-defined oligomers with tunable backbones and side chains and their application in material and biomedical sciences.

The pressure-induced polymerization of aryl/perfluoroaryl co-crystals offers a strategic route to obtain sequence-defined polymeric architectures, such as diamond nanothreads, that feature a stiff sp³ hybridized backbone.

There is a requirement for the development of methods for the preparation of well-controlled polymers with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties.

A clickable initiator, pentafluoro benzyl bromide, has been investigated for the cationic ring opening polymerization of poly(2-oxazolines).

Antimicrobial polymers have recently been investigated as potential treatments to combat multidrug-resistant pathogens.

A binary gradient copolymer in which the gradient is comprised of two copolymer dyads (1a-alt-2 and 1b-alt-2) is formed by metathesis of two different strained bicyclo[4.2.0]-amides (1a and 1b) and an unstrained cyclohexene monomer (2).

Stimuli-responsive polymersomes exhibited reversible shape transformation upon irradiation with UV or visible light due to the E–Z isomerization of the hydrazone-based photoswitch resulting in a conformational change of the OPLA block.

A novel consistent approach to mimic the structure of biopolymers via precision polymer synthesis with reversible deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP).

Herein we present a photoreactive chalcone moiety that can be synthesized at a scale of several grams with ease, and can efficiently undergo a [2 + 2] photocycloaddition with light close to 500 nm as determined by an action plot.

Sequence-defined macromolecules were prepared with a thiolactone-based platform whereby ligand functionalities were introduced along the backbone enabling a nickel induced formation of single-chain nanoparticles.

The construction of a supramolecular brush copolymer featuring a helical backbone is described. The pendant chains are grafted onto the backbone through metal coordination.

Shape complementarity between polymers is a hallmark of biological systems (e.g. DNA base pairing and protein binding interactions). Here we explore the role of shape complementarity between sequence-defined N-alkyl peptoids in crystal lattices.

Amphiphilic precision glycomacromolecules (APG) are synthesized using solid-phase synthesis and studied for their self-assembly behavior and as inhibitors of bacterial adhesion.

Thermal characterization of polysilanes has focused on the influence of organic side chains, whereas little is understood about the influence of silane backbone microstructure on thermal stability, phase properties, and pyrolysis.

Magnesium bromide (MgBr₂) was found to be an effective catalyst for the ring-expansion cationic polymerizations of isobutyl vinyl ether (IBVE) initiated by a “cyclic” hemiacetal ester (HAE) bond-based initiator leading to the syntheses of cyclic poly(IBVE)s.

Iterative ATRAs and ADMET polymerization enabled the synthesis of sequence-regulated vinyl polymers without statistical distribution of monomer compositions and sequences.

A C–H iodination reaction of the electron-poor building block, benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b0]-dithiophene-1,1,5,5-tetraoxide has been reported. This facile functionalization has led to the development of two novel n-type donor–acceptor conjugated polymers.

One of the great challenges in polymer chemistry is to achieve discrete and sequence-defined synthetic polymers that fold in defined conformations and form well-defined three-dimensional structured particles.

Because cyclic polymers have intriguing physical properties, considerable synthetic strategies have been developed to create a wide variety of cyclic architectures.

In this work, stereocontrolled sequence-defined oligomers were prepared using an automated thiolactone-based platform that allows post-synthesis functionalisation.

New synthetic strategy leading to discrete poly(triazole-urethane) oligomers with a large range of functional side groups, programmable stereochemistry and sequentiality.