Poly(2-oxazoline)s: A comprehensive overview of polymer structures and their physical properties

Abstract

Poly(2-oxazoline)s (PAOx) are of increasing importance for a wide range of applications, mostly in the biomedical field. This review describes the synthesis of 2-oxazoline monomers and their cationic ring-opening polymerization, and gives a comprehensive overview of all reported PAOx homopolymers. In the second part of the review, the polymer properties of these PAOx homopolymers with varying side-chain structures are discussed. Altogether, this review intends to serve as an encyclopedia for poly(2-oxazoline)s enabling the straightforward selection of a polymer structure with the desired properties for a certain application. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.