Core-Shell Cylindrical Polymer Brushes with New Properties: A Mini-Review

Polysarcosine-containing copolymers: Synthesis, characterization, self-assembly, and applications

Although the first polysarcosine (pSar) synthesis by Wesseley et al. was reported almost a century ago, it was only recently that pSar gained broader attention and is considered a potential alternative of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). In contrast to polyethers, such as PEG, pSar is a polypeptoid based on the amino acid sarcosine, i.e. N-methylated glycine. As a polymer, pSar combines PEG-like properties, e.g., excellent solubility in water, protein resistance, low cellular toxicity and a non-immunogenic character, while being based on endogenous material. Sarcosine can be obtained in a simple one-step reaction of bromoacetic acid and methylamine, easily transferred into the sarcosine N-(thio…