Switchable Polymerization: A Practicable Strategy to Produce Biodegradable Block Copolymers with Diverse Properties

Abstract

With the global demand for sustainable development, there has been an increasing interest in using natural biomass as raw resources to produce sustainable polymers as an alternative to petroleum-based polymers. Because monocomponent biodegradable polymers are often insufficient in performance, copolymers with well-engineered block structures are synthesized to reach wide tunability. Switchable polymerization is such a practical strategy to produce biodegradable block copolymers with diverse performance. This review focus on the performance of block copolymers bearing biodegradable polymer segments produced by diverse switchable polymerization. We highlight two main segments that are critical for biodegradable block copolymers, i. e., polyester and polycarbonate, summarize the multiple characters of materials from switchable polymerization such as antibacterial, shape memory, adhesives, etc. The state-of-the-art research on biodegradable block copolymers, as well as an outlook on the preparation and application of novel materials, are presented.

Monomer-controlled self-switchable polymerization: a metal-free strategy for synthesizing multiblock copolymers from epoxides, O-phthalaldehyde, and CO2

“…37 Although perfect control over the sequence has been achieved, the polymer backbone in these cases is mainly limited to polyesters and polycarbonates. 38 Moving forward, expanding the scope of the monomer pairs would be one of the most important advancements. Additionally, further synthesizing multiblock copolymers from multiple monomer mixtures is also highly desirable, which will enable the widespread use of sequence-controlled copolymers.…”

A perspective on redox‐switchable ring‐opening polymerization

“…The following perspective is meant to provide a brief overview of the field of redox‐switchable ROP. Though this is not intended to be an all‐encompassing review, it will highlight the origins and recent advances in the field, as well as provide insights into remaining challenges and opportunities 19,29–33 …”