Highly branched and hyperbranched glycopolymers via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization and click chemistry

We report a new strategy to synthesize densely functionalized highly and hyperbranched glycopolymers. Our methodology combines living radical polymerization and click chemistry. Hyperbranched "clickable" scaffolds synthesized via RAFT polymerization are functionalized with carbohydrate groups using an array of "click" chemistry reactions, namely Cu(I)-catalyzed Huisgen 1,3-cycloaddition of azides and alkynes (CuAAC), thiol-ene addition, and thiol-yne addition. This simple and flexible method yields glycopolymers of unique structures, which are potential candidates for biomedical applications.