A New Synthetic Methodology of Site-Specific Functionalized Polypeptides: Metal-Free, Highly Active and Selective at Room Temperature

Embargo End Date
2021-09-16

Type
Article

Authors
Zhao, Wei
Lv, Yanfeng
Li, Ji
Feng, Zihao
Ni, Yonghao
Hadjichristidis, Nikos

KAUST Department
Chemical Science Program
KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC)
Physical Science and Engineering (PSE) Division
Polymer Synthesis Laboratory

Online Publication Date
2020-11-03

Print Publication Date
2021-01-11

Date
2020-11-03

Submitted Date
2020-07-06

Abstract
Functionalized polypeptides have attracted tremendous interest in recent years and found many stimulating applications due to their tunable physicochemical characteristics including hydrophilicity and stimuli-responsive behavior. The development of new strategies to produce these polymers without metallic contaminants is crucial for their applications in high-value and sensitive domains, such as biomedical, microelectronic, food packaging and personal beauty care fields. Herein, a highly efficient strategy to access well-defined site-specific functionalized polypeptides is developed by combining Michael reaction with hydrogen-bonding organocatalytic ROP of NCA. A library of chain-end and chain-middle functionalized polypeptides (14 examples) with predesigned molecular weights and low polydispersities are readily prepared with this approach. Specifically, the whole synthetic process is metal-free, fulfilling high activity and selectivity at room temperature.

Citation
Zhao, W., Lv, Y., Li, J., Feng, Z., Ni, Y., & Hadjichristidis, N. (2020). A New Synthetic Methodology of Site-Specific Functionalized Polypeptides: Metal-Free, Highly Active and Selective at Room Temperature. Angewandte Chemie International Edition. doi:10.1002/anie.202009316

Acknowledgements
This work is supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21774071) and Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi University of Science and Technology (No. 2017QNBJ-07). W. Z. thanks the support from the Youth Hundred-Talent Program of Shaanxi Province (No.SXBR9227), the National High-Level Foreign Expert Project (No.GDT20186100425), Biomass Chemistry and Materials Academician Workstation Project in SUST (No.134090002) and Northwest Polytechnic University High-Performance Computing and Development Center. N. H. acknowledges the support of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.

Publisher
Wiley

Journal
Angewandte Chemie

DOI
10.1002/anie.202009316
10.1002/ange.202009316

PubMed ID
32935922

Additional Links
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/anie.202009316

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