Controlled radical polymerization of α-Lipoic acid: A general route to degradable vinyl copolymers

Here, we present the synthesis and characterization of statistical and block copolymers containing α-lipoic acid (LA) using reversible addition–fragmentation transfer (RAFT) polymerization. LA, a readily available nutritional supplement, undergoes efficient radical ring-opening copolymerization with vinyl monomers in a controlled manner with predictable molecular weights and low molar-mass dispersities. Because lipoic-acid diads present in the resulting copolymers include disulfide bonds, these copolymers efficiently and rapidly degrade when exposed to mild reducing agents such as tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (Mn = 56 kg mol–1 → 3.6 kg mol–1). This scalable and versatile polymerization method affords a facile way to synthesize degradable polymers with controlled architectures, molecular weights, and molar-mass dispersities from α-lipoic acid, a commercially available and renewable monomer.