Biodegradable synthetic polymers: Preparation, functionalization and biomedical application

Biodegradable polymers have been widely used and have greatly promoted the development of biomedical fields because of their biocompatibility and biodegradability. The development of biotechnology and medical technology has set higher requirements for biomedical materials. Novel biodegradable polymers with specific properties are in great demand. Biodegradable polymers can be classified as natural or synthetic polymers according to the source. Synthetic biodegradable polymers have found more versatile and diverse biomedical applications owing to their tailorable designs or modifications. This review presents a comprehensive introduction to various types of synthetic biodegradable polymers with reactive groups and bioactive groups, and further describes their structure, preparation procedures and properties. The focus is on advances in the past decade in functionalization and responsive strategies of biodegradable polymers and their biomedical applications. The possible future developments of the materials are also discussed.     

Telechelic polymers by living and controlled/living polymerization methods

Telechelic polymers, defined as macromolecules that contain two reactive end groups, are used as cross-linkers, chain extenders, and important building blocks for various macromolecular structures, including block and graft copolymers, star, hyperbranched or dendritic polymers. This review article describes the general techniques for the preparation of telechelic polymers by living and controlled/living polymerization methods; namely atom transfer radical polymerization, nitroxide mediated radical polymerization, reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization, iniferters, iodine transfer polymerization, cobalt mediated radical polymerization, organotellurium-, organostibine-, organobismuthine-mediated living radical polymerization, living anionic polymerization, living cationic polymerization, and ring opening metathesis polymerization. The efficient click reactions for the synthesis of telechelic polymers are also presented.