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Bento C, Katz M, Santos MMM, Afonso CAM. Striving for Uniformity: A Review on Advances and Challenges To Achieve Uniform Polyethylene Glycol. Org Process Res Dev 2024; 28:860-890. [PMID: 38660381 PMCID: PMC11036406 DOI: 10.1021/acs.oprd.3c00428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is the polymer of choice in drug delivery systems due to its biocompatibility and hydrophilicity. For over 20 years, this polymer has been widely used in the drug delivery of small drugs, proteins, oligonucleotides, and liposomes, improving the stability and pharmacokinetics of many drugs. However, despite the extensive clinical experience with PEG, concerns have emerged related to its use. These include hypersensitivity, purity, and nonbiodegradability. Moreover, conventional PEG is a mixture of polymers that can complicate drug synthesis and purification leading to unwanted immunogenic reactions. Studies have shown that uniform PEGylated drugs may be more effective than conventional PEGylated drugs as they can overcome issues related to molecular heterogeneity and immunogenicity. This has led to significant research efforts to develop synthetic procedures to produce uniform PEGs (monodisperse PEGs). As a result, iterative step-by-step controlled synthesis methods have been created over time and have shown promising results. Nonetheless, these procedures have presented numerous challenges due to their iterative nature and the requirement for multiple purification steps, resulting in increased costs and time consumption. Despite these challenges, the synthetic procedures went through several improvements. This review summarizes and discusses recent advances in the synthesis of uniform PEGs and its derivatives with a focus on overall yields, scalability, and purity of the polymers. Additionally, the available characterization methods for assessing polymer monodispersity are discussed as well as uniform PEG applications, side effects, and possible alternative polymers that can overcome the drawbacks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cláudia Bento
- Hovione
Farmaciência S.A., Estrada do Paço do Lumiar, Campus do Lumiar, Edifício
R, 1649-038 Lisboa, Portugal
- Research
Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Marianna Katz
- Hovione
Farmaciência S.A., Estrada do Paço do Lumiar, Campus do Lumiar, Edifício
R, 1649-038 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Maria M. M. Santos
- Research
Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Carlos A. M. Afonso
- Research
Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal
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2
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Fang S, Chillar K, Yin Y, Apostle A, Eriyagama DNAM, Shahsavari S, Halami B, Yuan Y. Oligodeoxynucleotide Synthesis Under Non-Nucleophilic Deprotection Conditions. Curr Protoc 2024; 4:e983. [PMID: 38327123 PMCID: PMC10857739 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
This protocol describes a method for the incorporation of sensitive functional groups into oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs). The nucleophile-sensitive epigenetic N4-acetyldeoxycytosine (4acC) DNA modification is used as an example, but other sensitive groups can also be incorporated, e.g., alkyl halide, α-haloamide, alkyl ester, aryl ester, thioester, and chloropurine groups, all of which are unstable under the basic and nucleophilic deprotection and cleavage conditions used in standard ODN synthesis methods. The method uses a 1,3-dithian-2-yl-methoxycarbonyl (Dmoc) group that carries a methyl group at the carbon of the methoxy moiety (meDmoc) for the protection of exo-amines of nucleobases. The growing ODN is anchored to a solid support via a Dmoc linker. With these protecting and linking strategies, ODN deprotection and cleavage are achieved without using any strong bases and nucleophiles. Instead, they can be carried out under nearly neutral non-nucleophilic oxidative conditions. To increase the length of ODNs that can be synthesized using the meDmoc method, the protocol also describes the synthesis of a PEGylated Dmoc (pDmoc) phosphoramidite. With some of the nucleotides being incorporated with pDmoc-CE phosphoramidite, the growing ODN on the solid support carries PEG moieties and becomes more soluble, thus enabling longer ODN synthesis. The ODN synthesis method described in this protocol is expected to make many sensitive ODNs that are difficult to synthesize accessible to researchers in multiple areas, such as epigenetics, nanopore sequencing, nucleic acid-protein interactions, antisense drug development, DNA alkylation carcinogenesis, and DNA nanotechnology. © 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol: Sensitive ODN synthesis Support Protocol 1: Synthesis of meDmoc-CE phosphoramidites Support Protocol 2: Synthesis of a pDmoc-CE phosphoramidite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiyue Fang
- Department of Chemistry and Health Research Institute, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan
| | - Komal Chillar
- Department of Chemistry and Health Research Institute, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan
| | - Yipeng Yin
- Department of Chemistry and Health Research Institute, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan
| | - Alexander Apostle
- Department of Chemistry and Health Research Institute, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan
| | - Dhananjani N A M Eriyagama
- Department of Chemistry and Health Research Institute, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan
| | - Shahien Shahsavari
- Department of Chemistry and Health Research Institute, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan
| | - Bhaskar Halami
- Department of Chemistry and Health Research Institute, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan
| | - Yinan Yuan
- College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan
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3
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Li B, Liu H, Zhou M, Wu A, Hao W, Jiang Y, Hu Z. Preparation of PEG/P(U-AM-ChCl) composite hydrogels using ternary DES light polymerization and their properties. RSC Adv 2024; 14:2993-2999. [PMID: 38239452 PMCID: PMC10794902 DOI: 10.1039/d3ra08235k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Deep eutectic solvents (DES) were prepared using urea (U) and acrylamide (AM) as hydrogen bond donors (HBD) and choline chloride (ChCl) as hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA), and polyethylene glycol (PEG) was selected as a filler and uniformly dispersed in DES to prepare PEG/P(U-AM-ChCl) composite hydrogels by light polymerization. The composite hydrogels were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The effects of the content of PEG on the swelling properties, mechanical properties and fatigue resistance of the composite hydrogels were investigated. The results showed that the compressive strength and fatigue strength of the composite hydrogels were gradually enhanced with the increase of the PEG content in the composite hydrogels, in which the maximum compressive strength of the hydrogels with 1 wt% PEG added was increased by 1.86 times. The composite hydrogel had excellent swelling properties, and the equilibrium swelling degree of the hydrogel with 1 wt% PEG added reached 10.15. Meanwhile, the PEG/P(U-AM-ChCl) composite hydrogel had excellent self-healing properties, and the self-healing rate of the composite hydrogel with a PFG content of 1 wt% could reach 91.93% after 48 hours of healing. This study provides a convenient and efficient method to prepare composite hydrogels with superior swelling properties and self-healing properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Li
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University Wuhan Hubei 430023 China +18827081895
| | - Haiying Liu
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University Wuhan Hubei 430023 China +18827081895
| | - Mengjing Zhou
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University Wuhan Hubei 430023 China +18827081895
| | - Aolin Wu
- School of Science, Wuhan University of Technology Wuhan Hubei 430070 China
| | - Wenrui Hao
- School of Science, Wuhan University of Technology Wuhan Hubei 430070 China
| | - YaJun Jiang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University Wuhan Hubei 430023 China +18827081895
| | - Zhigang Hu
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University Wuhan Hubei 430023 China +18827081895
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4
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Eng YJ, Nguyen TM, Luo HK, Chan JMW. Antifouling polymers for nanomedicine and surfaces: recent advances. NANOSCALE 2023; 15:15472-15512. [PMID: 37740391 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr03164k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/24/2023]
Abstract
Antifouling polymers are materials that can resist nonspecific interactions with cells, proteins, and other biomolecules. Typically, they are hydrophilic polymers with polar or charged moieties that are capable of strong nonbonding interactions with water molecules. This propensity to bind water generates a surface hydration layer that reduces nonspecific interactions with other molecules and is paramount to the antifouling behavior. This property is especially useful for nanoscale applications such as nanomedicine and surface modifications at the molecular level. In nanomedicine, antifouling polymers such as poly(ethylene glycol) and its alternatives play a key role in shielding drug molecules and therapeutic proteins/genes from the immune system within nanoassemblies, thereby enabling effective delivery to target tissues. For coatings, antifouling polymers help to prevent adhesion of cells and molecules to surfaces and are thus valued in marine and biomedical device applications. In this Review, we survey recent advances in antifouling polymers in the context of nanomedicine and coatings, while shining the spotlight on the major polymer classes such as PEG, polyzwitterions, poly(oxazoline)s, and other nonionic hydrophilic polymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Jie Eng
- Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE2), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 1 Pesek Road, Jurong Island, Singapore 627833, Republic of Singapore.
| | - Tuan Minh Nguyen
- Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE2), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 1 Pesek Road, Jurong Island, Singapore 627833, Republic of Singapore.
| | - He-Kuan Luo
- Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE2), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 1 Pesek Road, Jurong Island, Singapore 627833, Republic of Singapore.
| | - Julian M W Chan
- Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE2), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 1 Pesek Road, Jurong Island, Singapore 627833, Republic of Singapore.
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5
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Avais M, Chattopadhyay S. Divergent Synthesis of Biocompatible Nearly Monodisperse Multi‐functional Poly(ethylene glycol) Periodic Copolymers. MACROMOL CHEM PHYS 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/macp.202200109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mohd. Avais
- Department of Chemistry Indian Institute of Technology Patna Bihta Patna Bihar 801106 India
| | - Subrata Chattopadhyay
- Department of Chemistry Indian Institute of Technology Patna Bihta Patna Bihar 801106 India
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6
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Automated stepwise PEG synthesis using a base-labile protecting group. Tetrahedron 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tet.2022.132861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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7
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Mikesell L, Eriyagama DNAM, Yin Y, Lu BY, Fang S. Stepwise PEG synthesis featuring deprotection and coupling in one pot. Beilstein J Org Chem 2021; 17:2976-2982. [PMID: 35079293 PMCID: PMC8722398 DOI: 10.3762/bjoc.17.207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The stepwise synthesis of monodisperse polyethylene glycols (PEGs) and their derivatives usually involves using an acid-labile protecting group such as DMTr and coupling the two PEG moieties together under basic Williamson ether formation conditions. Using this approach, each elongation of PEG is achieved in three steps – deprotection, deprotonation and coupling – in two pots. Here, we report a more convenient approach for PEG synthesis featuring the use of a base-labile protecting group such as the phenethyl group. Using this approach, each elongation of PEG can be achieved in two steps – deprotection and coupling – in only one pot. The deprotonation step, and the isolation and purification of the intermediate product after deprotection using existing approaches are no longer needed when the one-pot approach is used. Because the stepwise PEG synthesis usually requires multiple PEG elongation cycles, the new PEG synthesis method is expected to significantly lower PEG synthesis cost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Logan Mikesell
- Department of Chemistry, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931, USA
| | - Dhananjani N A M Eriyagama
- Department of Chemistry, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931, USA
| | - Yipeng Yin
- Department of Chemistry, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931, USA
| | - Bao-Yuan Lu
- ChampionX, 11177 South Stadium Drive, Sugar Land, TX 77478, USA
| | - Shiyue Fang
- Department of Chemistry, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931, USA
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8
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Aksakal R, Mertens C, Soete M, Badi N, Du Prez F. Applications of Discrete Synthetic Macromolecules in Life and Materials Science: Recent and Future Trends. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2021; 8:2004038. [PMID: 33747749 PMCID: PMC7967060 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202004038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Revised: 11/22/2020] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
In the last decade, the field of sequence-defined polymers and related ultraprecise, monodisperse synthetic macromolecules has grown exponentially. In the early stage, mainly articles or reviews dedicated to the development of synthetic routes toward their preparation have been published. Nowadays, those synthetic methodologies, combined with the elucidation of the structure-property relationships, allow envisioning many promising applications. Consequently, in the past 3 years, application-oriented papers based on discrete synthetic macromolecules emerged. Hence, material science applications such as macromolecular data storage and encryption, self-assembly of discrete structures and foldamers have been the object of many fascinating studies. Moreover, in the area of life sciences, such structures have also been the focus of numerous research studies. Here, it is aimed to highlight these recent applications and to give the reader a critical overview of the future trends in this area of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Resat Aksakal
- Polymer Chemistry Research GroupCentre of Macromolecular Chemistry (CMaC)Department of Organic and Macromolecular ChemistryGhent UniversityKrijgslaan 281 S4‐bisGhentB‐9000Belgium
| | - Chiel Mertens
- Polymer Chemistry Research GroupCentre of Macromolecular Chemistry (CMaC)Department of Organic and Macromolecular ChemistryGhent UniversityKrijgslaan 281 S4‐bisGhentB‐9000Belgium
| | - Matthieu Soete
- Polymer Chemistry Research GroupCentre of Macromolecular Chemistry (CMaC)Department of Organic and Macromolecular ChemistryGhent UniversityKrijgslaan 281 S4‐bisGhentB‐9000Belgium
| | - Nezha Badi
- Polymer Chemistry Research GroupCentre of Macromolecular Chemistry (CMaC)Department of Organic and Macromolecular ChemistryGhent UniversityKrijgslaan 281 S4‐bisGhentB‐9000Belgium
| | - Filip Du Prez
- Polymer Chemistry Research GroupCentre of Macromolecular Chemistry (CMaC)Department of Organic and Macromolecular ChemistryGhent UniversityKrijgslaan 281 S4‐bisGhentB‐9000Belgium
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9
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Zhang Y, Mesa-Antunez P, Fortuin L, Andrén OCJ, Malkoch M. Degradable High Molecular Weight Monodisperse Dendritic Poly(ethylene glycols). Biomacromolecules 2020; 21:4294-4301. [PMID: 32845125 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.0c01089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Poly(ethylene glycols) (PEGs) are extensively explored by the pharma industry as foundations for new therapeutic products. PEGs are typically used for their conjugation to active drugs, peptides, and proteins and the likeliness to increase the half-life and enhance the therapeutic outcome. Considering the necessity of batch-to-batch consistency for clinical products, monodisperse PEGs are highly attractive but are generally limited to 5 kDa as an upper molecular weight (Mw) and with an oligomer purity of 95%. By amalgamating short, monodisperse PEGs with dendritic frameworks based on 2,2-bis(methylol)propionic acid polyesters, we showcase a robust synthetic approach to monodisperse PEGs with Mw ranging from 2 to 65 kDa. The latter is, to our knowledge, the highest Mw structure of its kind ever reported. Importantly, the dendritic multifunctional connector facilitated degradability at pH 7.4 at 37 °C, which is an important feature for the delivery of therapeutic agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuning Zhang
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 56-68, Stockholm SE-100 44, Sweden
| | - Pablo Mesa-Antunez
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 56-68, Stockholm SE-100 44, Sweden
| | - Lisa Fortuin
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 56-68, Stockholm SE-100 44, Sweden
| | - Oliver C J Andrén
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 56-68, Stockholm SE-100 44, Sweden
| | - Michael Malkoch
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 56-68, Stockholm SE-100 44, Sweden
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Cristóbal-Lecina E, Pulido D, Martin-Malpartida P, Macias MJ, Albericio F, Royo M. Synthesis of Stable Cholesteryl-Polyethylene Glycol-Peptide Conjugates with Non-Disperse Polyethylene Glycol Lengths. ACS OMEGA 2020; 5:5508-5519. [PMID: 32201843 PMCID: PMC7081636 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c00130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
A method for conjugating cholesterol to peptide ligands through non-disperse polyethylene glycol (ND-PEG) through a non-hydrolysable linkage is described. The iterative addition of tetraethylene glycol macrocyclic sulfate to cholesterol (Chol) renders a family of highly pure well-defined Chol-PEG compounds with different PEG lengths from 4 up to 20 ethylene oxide units, stably linked through an ether bond. The conjugation of these Chol-PEG compounds to the cyclic (RGDfK) peptide though Lys5 side chains generates different lengths of Chol-PEG-RGD conjugates that retain the oligomer purity of the precursors, as analysis by HRMS and NMR has shown. Other derivatives were synthesized with similar results, such as Chol-PEG-OCH3 and Chol-PEG conjugated to glutathione and Tf1 peptides through maleimide-thiol chemoselective ligation. This method allows the systematic synthesis of highly pure uniform stable Chol-PEGs, circumventing the use of activation groups on each elongation step and thus reducing the number of synthesis steps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edgar Cristóbal-Lecina
- Department
of Surfactants and Nanobiotechnology, Institute
for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro
de Investigación Biomédica en Red Bioingeniería,
Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel Pulido
- Department
of Surfactants and Nanobiotechnology, Institute
for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro
de Investigación Biomédica en Red Bioingeniería,
Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Pau Martin-Malpartida
- Institute
for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), Baldiri i Reixach 10, 08028 Barcelona Spain
- The
Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria J. Macias
- Institute
for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), Baldiri i Reixach 10, 08028 Barcelona Spain
- The
Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- ICREA, Passeig Lluis Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Fernando Albericio
- Department
of Surfactants and Nanobiotechnology, Institute
for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro
de Investigación Biomédica en Red Bioingeniería,
Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Department
of Inorganic and Organic Chemistry, University
of Barcelona, Marti i Franqués 1-11, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
- School
of Chemistry and Physics, University of
KwaZulu-Natal, 4041 Durban, South Africa
| | - Miriam Royo
- Department
of Surfactants and Nanobiotechnology, Institute
for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro
de Investigación Biomédica en Red Bioingeniería,
Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), 28029 Madrid, Spain
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12
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Dong R, Liu R, Gaffney PRJ, Schaepertoens M, Marchetti P, Williams CM, Chen R, Livingston AG. Sequence-defined multifunctional polyethers via liquid-phase synthesis with molecular sieving. Nat Chem 2018; 11:136-145. [PMID: 30510218 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-018-0169-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic chemists have devoted tremendous effort towards the production of precision synthetic polymers with defined sequences and specific functions. However, the creation of a general technology that enables precise control over monomer sequence, with efficient isolation of the target polymers, is highly challenging. Here, we report a robust strategy for the production of sequence-defined synthetic polymers through a combination of liquid-phase synthesis and selective molecular sieving. The polymer is assembled in solution with real-time monitoring to ensure couplings proceed to completion, on a three-armed star-shaped macromolecule to maximize efficiency during the molecular sieving process. This approach is applied to the construction of sequence-defined polyethers, with side-arms at precisely defined locations that can undergo site-selective modification after polymerization. Using this versatile strategy, we have introduced structural and functional diversity into sequence-defined polyethers, unlocking their potential for real-life applications in nanotechnology, healthcare and information storage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruijiao Dong
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Ruiyi Liu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Piers R J Gaffney
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | | | - Christopher M Williams
- EPSRC UK National Mass Spectrometry Facility (NMSF), Swansea University Medical School, Swansea, UK
| | - Rongjun Chen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
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