Construction of stimuli-responsive polymers and polymer networks using controlled, living polymerizations and highly efficient organic reactions

The past decade has witnessed an unprecedented explosion in the complexity and variety of chemically and architecturally well-defined organic materials prepared by the combination of controlled polymer synthesis and standard small-molecule organic synthesis. In particular, the advent of the click chemistry philosophy has ushered in a new paradigm for polymer synthesis which focuses on deriving novel function from unique materials via the use of a few highly efficient reactions. This thesis demonstrates the utility of click chemistry reactions in conjunction with living polymerizations for the synthesis of novel degradable polymers, degradable crosslinked polymer gels, and polymeric nanoparticles capable of controlled release. Our work has fundamental and applied aspects; we hope to provide unique insights into the fundamental properties of synthetic crosslinked polymers while simultaneously using these new materials for applications in drug delivery, tissue engineering, lithography, and waste reduction. We hope to convince the reader that, although a number of important polymer synthesis challenges remain, the current era of organic materials synthesis is limited less by the available methodologies, and more by the imagination.