Polymers with Phosphodiester Bonds: from Models of Biopolymers to Liquid Membranes and Polymer-Inorganic Hybrids

Polyalkylene phosphates - polymers that are built on the repeating unit of the diester of phosphoric acid: -[OP(O)(OH)Oalkylene]-, are known to form backbones of nucleic and teichoic acids. Various synthetic ways will be reported for the synthesis of the bare chains, where "alkylene" in the formula above means mostly two or three methylene groups. Some other structures have also been prepared. Several applications of these polymers are to be discussed, namely as liquid membranes, as components of two-block copolymers (ionic-nonionic diblock dihydrophilic) used as modifiers of CaCO3 crystallization, and as components of the inorganic-polymer hybrid materials. Some other applications in the biomedical field will also be discussed.