One-Pot Synthesis and PEGylation of Hyperbranched Polyacetals with a Degree of Branching of 100%

Highly branched polymethacrylates prepared efficiently: brancher-directed topology and application performance

A series of highly oil-soluble and branched polymethacrylates are prepared via ATRcP of 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate and divinyl brancher with high efficiency, focusing on the brancher effect on the structure-performance of the polymers.

Hyperbranched polydisulfides

Synthesis, aqueous aggregation, hydrophobic guest encapsulation, non-covalent encapsulation stability and glutathione responsive degradation of amphiphilic hyperbranched polydisulfides have been reported.

Stimuli-Responsive Phosphorus-Based Polymers

This microreview details recent developments in stimuli-responsive polymers with phosphorus in the main-chain, in particular polyphosphazenes and polyphosphoesters. The presence of phosphorus in the polymers endows unique properties onto the macromolecules, which can be utilized for the preparation of materials capable of physically responding to specific stimuli. Achieving the desired responsiveness has been much facilitated by recent developments in synthetic polymer chemistry, in particular controlled synthesis and backbone functionalization phosphorus-based polymers, in order to achieve the required properties and hence responsiveness of the materials. The development of phosphorus-based polymers which respond to the most important stimuli are discussed, namely, pH, oxidation, reduction, temperature and biological triggers. The polymers are placed in the context not just of each other but also with reference to state-of-the-art organic polymers.

Thermoplastic polyacetals: chemistry from the past for a sustainable future?

This review serves as a guide to the synthesis and applications of thermoplastic polyacetals, highlighting in particular sustainability and degradability aspects.

Facile Synthesis of Hyperbranched Polymers by Sequential Polycondensation

Hyperbranched polymers are an important class of soft nanomaterial, but the synthesis of hyperbranched polymers with well-defined dendritic structure from readily available monomers remains a challenge in polymer chemistry. We herein report a sequential polycondensation method for the one-pot synthesis of hyperbranched polymers with tunable structure and high degree of branching from commercial available monomers. Specifically, in the polycondensation process of equimolar difunctional haloalkane (A₂-type monomers) and trifunctional dihydroxybenzoic acid (CB₂-type monomers) using K₂CO₃ as the base, the aliphatic nucleophilic substitution reactivity sequence of the functional groups derived from CB₂ monomers is C > second B > first B ≫ original B, thereby producing hyperbranched poly(ester ether)s with high degree of branching (DB > 0.6). Moreover, the surface functionality of the hyperbranched poly(ester ether)s could be facilely tailored by just introducing A-type monofunctional reagents into the one-pot A₂ + CB₂ polymerization system.

Hyperbranched Macromolecules: From Synthesis to Applications

Hyperbranched macromolecules (HMs, also called hyperbranched polymers) are highly branched three-dimensional (3D) structures in which all bonds converge to a focal point or core, and which have a multiplicity of reactive chain-ends. This review summarizes major types of synthetic strategies exploited to produce HMs, including the step-growth polycondensation, the self-condensing vinyl polymerization and ring opening polymerization. Compared to linear analogues, the globular and dendritic architectures of HMs endow new characteristics, such as abundant functional groups, intramolecular cavities, low viscosity, and high solubility. After discussing the general concepts, synthesis, and properties, various applications of HMs are also covered. HMs continue being materials for topical interest, and thus this review offers both concise summary for those new to the topic and for those with more experience in the field of HMs.

Biodegradable dendrimers for drug delivery

Dendrimers, as a type of artificial polymers with unique structural features, have been extensively explored for their applications in biomedical fields, especially in drug delivery. However, one important concern about the most commonly used dendrimers exists - the nondegradability, which may cause side effects induced by the accumulation of synthetic polymers in cells or tissues. Therefore, biodegradable dendrimers incorporating biodegradability with merits of dendrimers such as well-defined architectures, copious internal cavities and surface functionalities, are much more promising for developing novel nontoxic drug carriers. Herein, we review the recent advances in design and synthesis of biodegradable dendrimers, as well as their applications in fabricating drug delivery systems, with the aim to provide researchers in the related fields a good understanding of biodegradable dendrimers for drug delivery.

Well-defined benzoxazine/triphenylamine-based hyperbranched polymers with controlled degree of branching

Well-defined thermally polymerizable hyperbranched polymers (TPA–BZs) containing various numbers of triphenylamine (TPA) and benzoxazine (BZ) units have been prepared using a “click-like” reaction concept, through one-pot Mannich condensations of 4-(bis(4-aminophenyl)amino)phenol (TPA–2NH₂–OH, as the AB₂ branching groups), aniline (as the focal groups), CH₂O, and phenol in 1,4-dioxane, with a unique feeding approach. Two design strategies for the chemical construction were applied: (i) simple hyperbranched TPA–BZs, such as those containing one or three TPA units, developed from the focal or the terminal group direction to form the resultant monomers; (ii) three dendritic TPA–BZs containing four TPA units possessing different degrees of branching (DBs) for the conformation study. The exothermic temperature for the dendritic TPA–BZs decreased upon increasing the DB. The bathochromic shifts of the dendritic TPA–BZs increased upon increasing the number of TPA units, in UV-Vis absorption and PL emission spectra, presumably because of an increase in the effective conjugation length. In addition, the polymerized dendritic TPA–BZ DG1 possessed thermal properties superior to those of the hyperbranched TPA–BZ polybenzoxazines, possibly because the segmental mobility in the polymer network was restricted by the dendrimer core group and because of its symmetrical construction. The hyperbranched TPA–BZ possessed unique photophysical properties, suggesting potential applications in optoelectronic devices.

Different well-defined benzoxazine/triphenylamine based hyperbranched polymers with controlled degree of branching were prepared and discussed.

One-pot synthesis of glutathione-responsive amphiphilic drug self-delivery micelles of doxorubicin–disulfide–methoxy polyethylene glycol for tumor therapy

We present a novel glutathione-responsive amphiphilic drug self-delivery (DSD) micelle with one-pot synthesis to synergistically address the problems of controlled drug release, degradability, drug tracing and in vivo accumulated toxicity.

Polyphosphoramidates That Undergo Acid-Triggered Backbone Degradation

The direct and facile synthesis of polyphosphoramidates (PPAs) with acid-labile phosphoramidate backbone linkages are reported, together with demonstration of their hydrolytic degradability, evaluated under acidic conditions. The introduction of acid-labile linkages along the polymer backbone led to rapid degradation of the polymer backbone dependent upon the environmental stimuli. An oxazaphospholidine monomer bearing a phosphoramidate linkage was designed and synthesized to afford the PPAs via organobase-catalyzed ring-opening polymerization in a controlled manner. The hydrolytic degradation of the PPAs was studied, revealing breakdown of the polymer backbone through cleavage of the phosphoramidate linkages under acidic conditions.

Substituent Effects on the pH Sensitivity of Acetals and Ketals and Their Correlation with Encapsulation Stability in Polymeric Nanogels

The effect of structural variations in acetal- and ketal-based linkers upon their degradation kinetics is studied through the design, synthesis, and study of six series of molecules, comprising a total of 18 different molecules. Through this systematic study, we show that the structural fine-tuning of the linkers allows access to variations in kinetics of degradation of more than 6 orders of magnitude. Hammett correlations show that the ρ value for the hydrolysis of benzylidene acetals is about -4.06, which is comparable to an S_N1-like process. This shows that there is a strong, developing positive charge at the benzylic position in the transition state during the degradation of acetals. This positively charged transition state is consistent with the relative degradation rates of acetals vs ketals (correlated to stabilities of 1°, 2°, and 3° carboxonium ion type intermediates) and the observed effect of proximal electron-withdrawing groups upon the degradation rates. Following this, we studied whether the degradation kinetics study correlates with pH-sensitive variations in the host-guest characteristics of polymeric nanogels that contains these acetal or ketal moieties as cross-linking functionalities. Indeed, the trends observed in the small molecule degradation have clear correlations with the encapsulation stability of guest molecules within these polymeric nanogels. The implications of this fundamental study extend to a broad range of applications, well beyond the polymeric nanogel examples studied here.

Self-condensing reversible complexation-mediated copolymerization for highly branched polymers with in situ formed inimers

In this work, reversible complexation-mediated polymerization (RCMP) was modified to suit self-condensing vinyl polymerization (SCVP) aimed at the synthesis of highly branched polymers.

100% hyperbranched polymers via the acid-catalyzed Friedel–Crafts aromatic substitution reaction

A highly efficient and benign strategy to synthesize hyperbranched polymers with a degree of branching of 100% was presented via the Friedel–Crafts reaction.

Facile synthesis and self-assembly behaviour of pH-responsive degradable polyacetal dendrimers

Well-defined POSS hybrid polyacetal dendrimers functionalized with terminal polyethylene glycol and zwitterion could assemble into pH-responsive degradable micelles and nanofibers.

Synthesis and encapsulation of an amphiphilic thermoresponsive star polymer with β-cyclodextrin and hyperbranched poly(oligo(ethylene glycol)methacrylate) as building blocks

Schematic illustrations of the thermally-induced self-assembly and possible encapsulation behaviors with single or multi-guests for PE-CD–POEGMAS.