Lipases in polymer chemistry

Lipases are highly active in the polymerization of a range of monomers. Both ring-opening polymerization of cyclic monomers such as lactones and carbonates as well as polycondensation reactions have been investigated in great detail. Moreover, in combination with other (chemical) polymerization techniques, lipase-catalyzed polymerization has been employed to synthesize a variety of polymer materials. Major advantages of enzymatic catalysts are the often-observed excellent regio-, chemo- and enantioselectivity that allows for the direct preparation of functional materials. In particular, the application of techniques such as Dynamic Kinetic Resolution (DKR) in the lipase-catalyzed polymerization of racemic monomers is a new development in enzymatic polymerization. This paper reviews selected examples of the application of lipases in polymer chemistry covering the synthesis of linear polymers, chemoenzymatic polymerization and applications of enantioselective techniques for the synthesis and modification of polymers.

Chemoenzymatic synthesis of polymeric materials using lipases as catalysts: a review

In the past two decades, enzymatic polymerization has rapidly developed and become an important polymer synthesis technique. However, the range of polymers resulting from enzymatic polymerization could be further expanded through combination with chemical methods. This review systematically introduces recent developments in the combination of lipase-catalyzed polymerization with atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), kinetic resolution, reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT), click reaction and carbene chemistry to construct polymeric materials like block, brush, comb and graft copolymers, hyperbranched and chiral polymers. Moreover, it presents a thorough and descriptive evaluation of future trends and perspectives concerning chemoenzymatic polymerization. It is expected that combining enzymatic polymerization with multiple chemical methods will be an efficient tool for producing more highly advanced polymeric materials.