In this communication, we presented a novel strategy to control the ROP of α-amino acid N-carboxy-anhydrides using the concept of frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs). An FLP intermediate containing an interaction between the bulky borane Lewis acid and the amine groups of the propagation chain end is essential to accomplish the polypeptide synthesis with well-defined structures under mild conditions.

No abstract

Despite notable progress, the fabrication of well-defined polypeptides via controlled ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of α-amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides (NCAs) using convenient catalysts under mild conditions in a relatively short polymerization time is still challenging. Herein, an easily obtained catalyst system composed of zinc acetate and aniline was explored to mediate the fast ROP of γ-benzyl-l-glutamate-N-carboxyanhydride (BLG-NCA) monomer, to produce poly(γ-benzyl-l-glutamates) (PBLGs) with controllable molecular weights and narrow dispersity. Considering the excellent cooperative action of zinc acetate and a broad scope of aniline derivatives with different functional groups to control ROP of BLG-NCA, this method may offer a useful platform enabling the rapid generation of end-functionalized PBLG and block copolymers for numerous biomedical applications.