During the resorbable-polymer-boom of the 1970s and 1980s, polycaprolactone (PCL) was used in the biomaterials field and a number of drug-delivery devices. Its popularity was soon superseded by faster resorbable polymers which had fewer perceived disadvantages associated with long term degradation (up to 3-4 years) and intracellular resorption pathways; consequently, PCL was almost forgotten for most of two decades. Recently, a resurgence of interest has propelled PCL back into the biomaterials-arena. The superior rheological and viscoelastic properties over many of its aliphatic polyester counterparts renders PCL easy to manufacture and manipulate into a large range of implants and devices. Coupled with relatively inexpensive production routes and FDA approval, this provides a promising platform for the production of longer-term degradable implants which may be manipulated physically, chemically and biologically to possess tailorable degradation kinetics to suit a specific anatomical site. This review will discuss the application of PCL as a biomaterial over the last two decades focusing on the advantages which have propagated its return into the spotlight with a particular focus on medical devices, drug delivery and tissue engineering.

The return of a forgotten polymer : Polycaprolactone in the 21st century

Radical Polymerization and Copper(0) Mediated Polymerization): From Fundamentals to Bioapplications Cyrille Boyer,*,†,‡ Nathaniel Alan Corrigan,‡ Kenward Jung,‡ Diep Nguyen,‡ Thuy-Khanh Nguyen,‡ Nik Nik M. Adnan,†,‡ Susan Oliver,†,‡ Sivaprakash Shanmugam,‡ and Jonathan Yeow†,‡ †Australian Centre for Nanomedicine, and ‡Centre for Advanced Macromolecular Design (CAMD), School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia

Copper-Mediated Living Radical Polymerization (Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization and Copper(0) Mediated Polymerization): From Fundamentals to Bioapplications

The structures and synthesis of polyzwitterions ("polybetaines") are reviewed, emphasizing the literature of the past decade. Particular attention is given to the general challenges faced, and to successful strategies to obtain polymers with a true balance of permanent cationic and anionic groups, thus resulting in an overall zero charge. Also, the progress due to applying new methodologies from general polymer synthesis, such as controlled polymerization methods or the use of "click" chemical reactions is presented. Furthermore, the emerging topic of responsive ("smart") polyzwitterions is addressed. The considerations and critical discussions are illustrated by typical examples.

https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/6/5/1544/pdf

Structures and Synthesis of Zwitterionic Polymers

Zwitterionic polymers are characterized with equal anion and cation groups on the molecular chains, which make them highly hydrophilic and antifouling. They can resist nonspecific protein adsorption, bacterial adhesion, and biofilm formation. Therefore, they have great potential to be applied in a wide range of biological and medical related fields, such as antifouling coatings of biomedical implants, blood contacted sensor and drug delivery in vivo, separation membrane and marine coatings. The review mainly focuses on the progress of those applications of zwitterionic polymers on the molecular level. Problems existed in these applications are also discussed and the development of in future is prospected.

Applications of zwitterionic polymers

Zwitterionic drug nanocarriers: a biomimetic strategy for drug delivery.

Synthesis of an amphiphilic block copolymer containing zwitterionic sulfobetaine as a novel pH-sensitive drug carrier

Synthesis of amphiphilic copolymers containing zwitterionic sulfobetaine as pH and redox responsive drug carriers

Ultra stretchable, tough, elastic and transparent hydrogel skins integrated with intelligent sensing functions enabled by machine learning algorithms

Immobilization of poly(acrylamide) brushes onto poly(caprolactone) surface by combining ATRP and “click” chemistry: Synthesis, characterization and evaluation of protein adhesion

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2022.114476

Yuhao Ma

Papers

Synthesis of an amphiphilic block copolymer containing zwitterionic sulfobetaine as a novel pH-sensitive drug carrier

Synthesis of amphiphilic copolymers containing zwitterionic sulfobetaine as pH and redox responsive drug carriers

Ultra stretchable, tough, elastic and transparent hydrogel skins integrated with intelligent sensing functions enabled by machine learning algorithms

Immobilization of poly(acrylamide) brushes onto poly(caprolactone) surface by combining ATRP and “click” chemistry: Synthesis, characterization and evaluation of protein adhesion

An impedimetric biosensor for COVID-19 serology test and modification of sensor performance via dielectrophoresis force