Abstract
There has been a great deal of interest in phosphorus containing polymers, which are synthesized as mimics of biosubstances, such as phospholipids, apatites, nucleic acids, etc. Especially, polyphosphoesters have attracted much attention in the biomedical field because they can be degraded through hydrolysis and possibly through enzymatic digestion of phosphate linkages under physiological conditions. Newly found aspects of polyphosphoesters are summarized in this review which is covering well-defined synthesis, stimuli responsive properties and applications for bone treatment. Using organocatalysts for ring-opening polymerization of five-membered cyclic phosphoesters, the molecular weight of polyphosphoesters could be controlled and coincided with the theoretical value with narrow molecular weight distribution. Some polyphosphoesters bearing simple alkyl groups show thermoresponsivity in aqueous media. This polymer solution forms a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) type coacervate. Phosphodiester polymers display high affinity for the calcium phosphate mineral which is the main inorganic component of bone. Furthermore, new composite materials for bone treatment have been proposed.
