Engineering and applications of DNA-grafted polymer materials

Abstract

The emergence of hybrid materials combining biomacromolecules and organic polymers has received broad attention because of their potential applications in chemical, biological and materials sciences. Among different coupling strategies, the grafting of oligonucleotides to organic polymers as side chains by covalent bonds provides a novel platform whereby the properties of both oligonucleotides and polymer backbone are integrated, manipulated and optimized for various applications. In this review, we give a perspective on this specific type of DNA polymer hybrid materials using selected examples with emphasis on bioanalysis, biomedicine and stimuli-responsive materials. It is expected that the success of DNA-grafted polymers will not only have an impact on the fabrication of novel biomolecule incorporated materials, but also will influence how the properties of synthetic materials are tailored using different functional groups.