CHAPTER 9: Polymer Self-Assembly Mediated by Boronic Acid

This chapter focuses on dynamic polymer–polymer interactions triggered by the boronic acid–diol interaction. General polymer–polymer interactions, except for those occurring in biological systems, take place in a random fashion. In view of the creation of polymer based materials, any comprehensive strategy for overcoming this limitation would be attractive and applicable. By introducing boronic acid groups into a polymer, it acquires precise molecular recognition ability based on dynamic boronic acid–diol interactions, thus affording stimulus-responsive supramolecular architectures in combination with various molecules or polymers. This strategy is powerful and introduces new opportunities for the sciences of polymer-based materials.