writer：Liying Yin, Lin Liu and Ning Zhang*
keywords：brush-like polymer, application, new methods, topology
source：期刊
specific source：Chem. Commun.
Issue time：2021年

With the development of controlled polymerisation, almost all polymerisation strategies have been successfully transplanted to surface–initiated polymersation. The yielded polymer brushes have emerged as an effective tool for surface functionalization and modulation of surface properties of materials. It is possible to tailor material surface with polymer brushes having diverse dimensionalities, morphologies and composition to meet various demands. The crowded environment within polymer brushes as well as the stretched conformation of polymer chains sometimes bring unique physicochemical properties, which lead to the delicate creation of inorganic–organic hybridised nanostructures, anti–fouling coating, biomedical carriers, lubrication, photonics and energy storage. To date, challenges remain in the high–precision synthesis as well as the topology control to realize extended application for polymer brushes. In this feature article, we highlight the topology, potential application prospects and various synthetic protocols especially recently established methods in the efficient synthesis of polymer brushes, as well as their benefits and limitations.