Applying Catching-by-Polymerization for the Preparation of Long Sequence-Defined Polymers.

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Biotechnology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Catching-by-polymerization (CBP) is an emerging DNA purification technique.
• CBP relies on covalently anchoring target sequences within a hydrogel matrix.
• The applicability of CBP to non-biological polymers required investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of Catching-by-polymerization (CBP) for purifying synthetic poly(phosphodiester)s.
• To demonstrate CBP's capability in isolating long polymer chains.
• To adapt CBP for non-biological polymer synthesis and purification.

Main Methods:

• Automated solid-phase synthesis of poly(phosphodiester)s using a model phosphoramidite monomer.
• Attachment of a custom CBP linker containing a polymerizable methacrylamide terminus.
• Incorporation into a hydrogel via radical copolymerization with acrylamide comonomers.
• Purification by washing away uncapped chains, followed by detritylation for polymer release.

Main Results:

• CBP successfully purified poly(phosphodiester)s synthesized via automated solid-phase methods.
• The technique effectively removed defective, capped polymer chains.
• Longer chains, including 150-mer and 170-mer poly(phosphodiester)s, were isolated for the first time.
• Analysis by HPLC and Mass Spectrometry confirmed the purity and length of the isolated polymers.

Conclusions:

• Catching-by-polymerization (CBP) is a versatile and effective strategy for purifying synthetic polymers.
• This method simplifies the isolation of long-chain polymers, overcoming previous limitations.
• CBP offers a straightforward approach for polymer purification across various lengths.