Controlled polymers: accessing new platforms for material synthesis

Abstract

Advances in polymer synthesis and characterization have laid the foundation for expanding the scope of synthetic polymer applications. Precisely controlled polymer synthesis could enable a generation of polymers with unique and predictable properties, akin to the syntheses of nucleic acids and peptides. Applications of synthetic polymers include information storage and assembly of 2-D and 3-D organic and composite nanomaterials. Herein, methods to achieve sequence control are discussed, including DNA-templated chemistries, iterative additions, and controlled living polymerization. The possibility of incorporating a verification method at each step is also presented.