Abstract：

Polypeptides and their hybrid copolymers have aroused much attention in biomedical fields due to their excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability. N-Carboxyanhydrides (NCA) can be polymerized into polypeptides and their hybrid copolymers via ring-opening polymerization with high efficiency and high yield. Also, polymers synthesized by this method have controlled chain length and molecular weight distribution. In this review, we have summarized the mechanism of NCA ring-opening polymerization, the methods for synthesizing NCA monomers, syntheses of polypeptides and polypeptide-based copolymers, and their applications in hydrogel, membranes, adhesives, antimicrobial vesicles and self-assembly, etc. We also highlight the solution behaviors of polypeptide-based copolymers which can form many functional nanostructures such as antibacterial polymer vesicles for anticancer drug delivery. Finally, we put forward the perspective on the research of polypeptide and polypeptide hybrids.

文章链接：Acta Polymerica Sinica 2014, 0, 1183-1194.