Self-Immolative Polymers: From Synthesis to Applications
Source abstract
Abstract
Polymers undergoing controlled degradation are of significant current interest. Among the classes of degradable polymers, self-immolative polymers (SIPs) are attracting increasing attention due to their ability to completely depolymerize from end to end following the cleavage of their endcap or backbone. Their amplified responses to stimuli, along with their ability to readily tune the stimulus to which they respond by changing only their endcap, are useful features for a variety of applications. This review covers the major classes of SIPs, including poly(benzyl carbamate)s, poly(benzyl ether)s, polyphthalaldehydes, polyglyoxylates, polydisulfides, polythioesters, and their related derivatives along with their endcaps. Distinctive features of their syntheses and depolymerizations are discussed. Applications of SIPs including imaging and sensing, therapeutics, gels, micro- and nanopatterning, transient or recyclable materials, and adhesives are described. We conclude with some challenges and future perspectives for the field.
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Research context
OpenAlex topics: Dendrimers and Hyperbranched Polymers · Synthesis and properties of polymers · Advanced Polymer Synthesis and Characterization
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
1Department of Chemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada; email: jgong32@uwo.ca, btavsanl@uwo.ca, egillie@uwo.ca
2Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
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