SIP · SPECIFICALLY INTERACTING POLYMERS– From Selective Adhesion toward Specific Recognition

The ability to control interactions in synthetic polymers as precisely as in proteins will have a significant impact on polymer and material sciences. The present proposal explores broadly applicable routes toward synthetic polymers having the capability of specifically interacting with distinct targets such as small molecules, surfaces, or material interfaces.Novel design strategies for peptide-polymer conjugates will be established, which broadly exploit combinatorial methods for the selection of suitable peptide segments. Understanding the requirements for specific interactions will ultimately enable the synthesis of non-peptidic block copolymers that can mimic specific peptide interactions.The striking opportunities that arise from the newly established platform of “specifically interacting polymers” will be demonstrated in three case-based studies on: (1) Specific solubilizers & transporters, which specifically host, transport and actively liberate problematic high-potential drugs. (2) Specific surface recognizers, which enable material-specific adhesion to generate, with office laser printers, penta-functional paper surfaces or 3D-channels. (3) Specific compatibilizers, which allow tailoring of internal material interfaces to fine-tune sustainable composites via specific interface design.This project will encourage the synthesis of next-generation functional polymers that offer exciting new possibilities for specific materials sciences.""