Posted by This review with 427 references focus mainly on the formation of one-dimensional, linear, cylindrical aggregates in solution with pendant polymer chains – therefore coined supramolecular polymer bottlebrushes in accordance with their covalent equivalents [1]. Distinguishing by the different supramolecular driving forces, systems based on π–π interactions are described, which comprise, among others, the well-known perylene motif, but also the early attempts using cyclophanes. However, the majority of reported supramolecular polymer bottlebrushes are formed by hydrogen bonds as they can for example be found in linear and cyclic peptides, as well as so called sticker molecules containing multiple urea groups. Besides this overview on the reported motifs and their impact on the resulting morphology of the polymer nanostructures, the potential benefits of such non-covalent interactions are highlighted and promising future directions of this still mostly unrecognized field of supramolecular research are envisaged.
One would think that these structures are only academic curiosities, but some applications of these stimuli responsive supramolecular building blocks can be forseen in electronics, actuators, scaffold design and nanomedicines, such as supramolecular vaccines.
We have to note that no cyclodextrin-based structures are mentioned in the review. The comments on such structures are wellcome.
[1] Franka V. Gruschwitz, Tobias Klein, Sylvain Catrouillet and Johannes C. Brende: Supramolecular polymer bottlebrushes. Chem. Commun., 2020,56, 5079-5110. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0CC01202E
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