Modern needs in materials science and bioapplications are manifold: From hydrophobic matrices for tissue engineering to water-soluble protein therapeutics a great variety of polymers is employed to fit to each application. The incorporation of uncharged phosphates or phosphonates into polymers allows us to tune the materials properties both along the main chain but also at the side chains. A key feature of poly(phosphoester)s (PPEs) is the pendant group that is attached to every phosphorus along the backbone.<br/>The materials range from very hydrophobic to highly water soluble PPEs. With the natural phosphate building block a reliable access to biodegradable, biomimetic PPEs is possible. We have developed a robust protocol based on olefin metathesis for the synthesis of PPEs with tunable hydrophilicity and degradation rate, high reactivity or adhesion properties. Further, we develop the anionic ring-opening polymerization of five-membered cyclic phosphoesters to novel water-soluble polymers with stealth properties similar to polyethylene glycol, however having the great benefit of being biodegradable.<br/>The combination of the pentavalence of phosphorus with modern polymer chemistry allows the synthesis of a platform for a broad variety of applications, ranging from adhesives or optical applications to tissue engineering scaffolds or polymer therapeutics.

Poly(phosphoester)s: From adhesives to stealth polymers

251st National Meeting (2016)

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