Synthesis of Stereocontrolled Polyurethanes with Defined Monomer Order by Step-economy Approach

Polyurethanes are valuable materials in the industrial sector due to their broad scope of various applications. Traditional synthesis methods rely on step-growth polymerization, which inherently lacks precise molecular weight and structure control. Consequently, pursuing a synthetic strategy for stereocontrolled, sequence-defined polyurethanes represent a substantial challenge in soft material design. This study demonstrates an approach to synthesising discrete, stereo-regulated polyurethanes with defined monomer order by combining the one-pot synthesis method with iterative exponential growth. This work presents a methodology to fabricate non-biological polymers with structural precision characteristics for biomacromolecules. By varying the composition of different monomers and gradually increasing the chiral monomer content or altering its position within the polymer chain, we can influence the secondary structures of polyurethanes and, consequently, their properties and functions. Furthermore, we demonstrated the production of polymers with non-symmetrical sequences, showcasing the feasibility of tailoring polymer chains to specific requirements and preserving complete sequence control. This synthetic strategy paves the way for the facile fabrication of abiotic polymers that could emulate the characteristics of artificial proteins.