Controlled synthesis of polypeptides

• 作 者: Yang Liu Di Li Jianxun Ding Xuesi Chen
• 机 构: Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of
• 出 处: 中国化学快报（英文版）
• 发表日期: 2020年12期
• 关键词: α-Amino acid N-carboxyanhydride Ring-opening polymerization Controlled synthesis

Polypeptides are one kind of promising biodegradable and biocompatible biomedical polymers with the structural units of various α-amino acids. Polypeptides were first polymerized by the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of α-amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides (NCAs) by Leuchs and Hermann in 1906. In the past decades, several effective strategies, including the selection of initiators, the adjustment of reaction conditions, and the introduction of catalysts, have been reported to improve the controllability of the ROP of various α-amino acid NCAs to synthesize different polypeptides with precise chemical structures and low polydispersity indexes. In this Review, the strategies, mechanisms, challenges, and opportunities for controlled synthesis of polypeptides by the ROP of different α-amino acid NCAs have been declared.