Hierarchical architectures are ubiquitous in biological systems where multifunctional materials are produced in situ, under ambient conditions and, through ecologically balanced processes. The development of synthetic, hybrid supramolecular assemblies would be beneficial in numerous nanotechnological and biomedical applications however, remains challenging. In this direction, synthesis and applications of biopolymers or sustainable polymers aimed to address the needs of diverse applications will be discussed. Special focus will be given to protein-polymer conjugates, i.e. hybrid block copolymers designed to mimic natural superstructures. Different synthetic strategies employing reversible-deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) approaches leading to multifunctional and responsive polymer-protein conjugates have been developed. Central to our approach is to simplify available means and improve the accessibility to tailored made protein-polymer functional conjugates. The intriguing molecular properties and assembling architectures observed in a variety of such biopolymers together with promising applications of these novel synthetic biomaterials will be discussed.
Για προσεχή colloquia, παρακαλώ δείτε το http://www.materials.uoc.gr/el/colloquia