Polymer Design

Cationic ring-opening polymerisation (CROP)
Poly(cyclic imino ether)s, e.g. Poly(2-oxazoline)s

The synthesis of functional cyclic imino ethers and their polymerisation by cationic ring-opening polymerisation is one of the major research areas of our group. We are particularly interested in poly(2-oxazoline)s which have attracted significant attention during the last years owing to their multifunctionality and the biocompatibility of the water-soluble short chain analogues, i.e. poly(2-methyl-2-oxaoline) and poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline).

Relevant publications:

1. Macromol. Chem Phys. 2017, DOI: 10.1002/macp.201700021.
   
2. Eur. Polym. J. 2017, 88, 486-515.
   
3. Polym. Chem. 2014, 5, 5751-5764.
   
4. ACS Macro Lett. 2013, 2, 1069-1072.
5. Macromol. Biosci. 2012, 12, 986-998.
6. Macromolecules 2011, 44, 6424-6432.
7. Chem. Commun. 2011, 47, 10620-10622.
8. Biomacromolecules 2011, 12, 2591-2600.
9. Macromol. Rapid Commun. 2010, 31, 1869-1873.

Spontaneous zwitterionic copolymerisation (SZWIP)
N-acylated poly(aminoester)s

Biodegradable synthetic polymers are highly attractive materials for biomedical applications. Poly(ester amide)s are an interesting polymer class in this context as they combine the properties of both polyesters and polyamides and thus allow for a high level of functionality. A highly interesting polymerisation techniques to obtain poly(ester amide)s with the amide group in the side chain, known as N-acylated poly(aminoester)s (NPAEs), is SZWIP. This polymerization is believed to occur via a zwitterionic intermediate which is formed upon the reaction between an electrophilic (ME) and nucleophilic monomer (MN) without the addition of an additional catalyst or initiator. The elucidation of the full potential of this re-discovered polymerisation technique is one of our recent research foci.

Relevant publications:

1. ACS Appl. Mater. Interface 2019, 11, 31302-31310
   
2. Prog. Polym. Sci. 2018, DOI: 10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2018.08.002
   
3. Macromolecules 2018, 51, 318-327
   
4. Polym. Chem. 2018, 9, 1562-1566
5. Macromol. Chem Phys. 2017, DOI: 10.1002/macp.201700021.
6. Polym. Chem. 2016, 7, 6703-6707.
7. ACS Macro Lett. 2016, 5, 321-325.
8. Chem. Commun. 2015, 51, 16213-16216.

Reversible deactivation radical polymerisation (RDRP)
RAFT polymerisation, Cu(0) mediated polymerisation

In the last decades research into RDRP has significantly progressed and techniques such as nitroxide-mediated (radical) polymerisation (NMP), atom-transfer radical polymerisation (ATRP), single-electron transfer living radical polymerisation (SET-LRP) and reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerisation have been demonstrated to be powerful tools for the synthesis of tailor-made precision polymers. We use RDRP in combination with CROP and SZWIP to gain access to sophisticated polymeric materials.

Relevant publications:

1. Chem. Rev. 2016, 116, 835-877.
   
2. Macromol. Rapid Commun. 2016, DOI: 10.1002/marc.201600534.
   
3. Macromolecules 2015, 48, 6421-6432.
4. Polym. Chem. 2015, 6, 2226-2233.
5. Macromolecules 2012, 45, 20-27.

Polymer-biomolecule hybrid materials
Polymer-peptide/protein conjugations and glycopolymers

The combination of biologically active compounds and polymers provides access to a new class of hybrid materials. The covalent attachment of polymers can improve the performance of the biomolecules, i.e. their stability, solubility, cellular uptake and blood circulation etc. Another exciting aspect is the application of the incorporated biomolecules as active targeting ligands to trigger the uptake of materials.
We develop new coupling strategies using efficient bioorthogonal chemistries with a particular focus on reversible and traceless conjugations to restore the full activity of the biomolecules. Moreover, we are highly interested in glycosylated polymers to improve cellular uptake and study the interaction with proteins and peptides.

Relevant publications:

1. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2017, 9, 6444-6452.
2. Macromol. Rapid Commun. 2016, DOI: 10.1002/marc.201600534.
3. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 9344-9353.
4. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 4215-4222.
5. Bioconjugate Chem. 2015, 26, 633-638.
6. Macromolecules 2011, 44, 6424-6432.
7. Polym. Chem. 2011, 2, 1737-1743.
8. Biomacromolecules 2011, 12, 2591-2600.