Review of synthesis of glycopolymers via "Living"/controlled radical polymerization

The design and synthesis of glycopolymers at the molecular level attract researcher's attention. "Living"/controlled radical polymerization has been proved to be a potential tool in preparing well-defined polymers especially polymers carrying functional groups such as saccharide. In this paper, the development of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), nitroxide-mediated polymerization (NMP), reversible addition-fragmentation transfer polymerization (RAFT) on the synthesis of glycopolymers was systematically discussed. Among them the emphasis was put on the control of the molecular weight and the structure of the glycopolymers. Also, some application of glycopolymers such as biomolecular recognition was mentioned.