Kabachnik-Fields reaction was employed as a new method for polycondensation. For this purpose, polymers were prepared from a mixture of dialdehydes, diamines, and phosphites. Variation of different starting monomers allowed the synthesis of polymers with tunable properties. It not only allowed the variation of glass transition temperatures but also enabled the synthesis of highly functional polymers including zwitterionic polymers. Further, photodegradable polymers have been realized by utilizing a photolabile dialdehyde monomer, which renders the obtained polymers highly interesting for numerous applications.

In this chapter, selected examples of sequential post-polymerization modifications are highlighted. Initially, we focus on side chain and chain end modifications in solution and at surface bounded polymers. Afterwards, the usage of this modifications as powerful tools in the synthesis of polymer structures such as graft and star polymers are discussed.

We present a new synthetic route for the synthesis of 4-arm star polymers. Placing a single reactive maleimide unit at the end of a polymer chain under nitroxide-mediated polymerization conditions allows a subsequent sequential post-polymerization modification with two end-functionalized polymers. This grafting-onto approach takes advantage of the defined sequence of conjugation chemistries comprised of an ester-amine conjugation and a Mitsunobu reaction. This new route enables the linkage of amino-terminated and hydroxyl-terminated polystyrenes onto a reactive-terminated polymer chain.