Catechols as versatile platforms in polymer chemistry

Catechols represent an important and versatile building block for the design of mussel-inspired synthetic adhesives and coatings. Indeed, their ability to establish large panoply of interactions with both organic and inorganic substrates has promoted catechol as a universal anchor for surface modifications. In addition to its pivotal role in adhesive interfaces, the catechol unit recently emerged as a powerful building block for the preparation of a large range of polymeric materials with intriguing structures and fascinating properties. The importance of catechols as efficient anchoring groups has been highlighted in recent excellent reviews partly dedicated to the characterization of their adhesive mechanisms onto surfaces and to their applications. The aim of this paper is to review for the first time the main synthetic approaches developed for the design of novel catechol-based polymer materials. We will also highlight the importance of these groups as versatile platforms for further functionalization of the macromolecular structures, but also surfaces. This will be illustrated by briefly discussing some advanced applications developed from these catechol-modified polymers. The review is organized according to the chemical structure of the functionalized catechol polymers. Chapter 1 discusses polymers bearing catechols embedded into the polymer main chain. Chapter 2 focuses on the attachment of catechol moieties as pendant groups and Chapter 3 describes the different approaches for incorporation of the catechol unit at the extremity of well-defined polymers. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.