Amino-functional polyethers: versatile, stimuli-responsive polymers

Abstract

Due to the increasing demand for “smart” materials and systems e.g. for actuators, microvalves, but also for drug delivery, electrooptical devices and many other applications, multi-stimuli responsive materials such as amino-functional polymers are attracting increasing attention in recent years. The hydrophilic character and excellent biocompatibility of the polyether backbone, in combination with multi-stimuli responsive amine moieties, offer intriguing opportunities for a wide range of applications, such as bioconjugation, stimuli-responsive drug delivery and surface modification. Furthermore, the controlled introduction of amino-functionalities at the polyether backbone via copolymerization of ethylene oxide (EO) or propylene oxide (PO), capitalizing on different synthetic strategies, such as the anionic ring-opening polymerization (AROP), the monomer-activated ring-opening polymerization (MAROP), various post-modification strategies, or end-functionalization reactions of polyethers enables fine-tuning of the material properties. This review offers an overview of recently established strategies for the synthesis of amino-functional polyethers and their emerging applications.