2-Oxazoline: Polymerization and synthesis of macromonomers

Abstract

The chemistry of poly(2-oxazoline) has resurfaced in the last two decades due to their easy synthesis, as well as the ability to modulate their chemical structure and properties. Furthermore, poly(2-oxazoline)s are biocompatible and many have thermoresponsive properties. 2-Oxazoline macromonomers are usually used as a starting material to perform the synthesis of graft copolymers, star copolymers and also dendrimers. But also macromonomers can be introduced in the synthesis of materials with more complex structures as hydrogels or nanogeles. For this reason, this manuscript describes fundamental and important chemical aspects about the polymerization and preparation of macromonomers by the initiator and terminator method of the living polymerization of 2-oxazoline. The importance of the initiator, terminator as well as the substituent on 2-oxazoline is discussed.