Preparation of (Bio)hybrid Materials by Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization

Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) has been successfully used to covalently attach polymer chains to various biomolecules such as proteins, enzymes, nucleic acids and exosomes, as well as to flat, concave and convex inorganic surfaces. New powerful Cu-based catalysts were used
at low ppm loadings and can be fine tune by various external stimuli, including electrical current, light, mechanical forces and ultrasound, also in the presence of air. The growth of polymer chains in the dense environment presents special features and challenges which must be overcome to synthesize well-defined species. The formed materials with nanostructured morphologies offer potential applications related to environmental, energy and biomedicine.