Controlled synthesis of linear and comb-like glycopolymers for preparation of honeycomb-patterned films

Honeycomb-patterned films can be facilely prepared by the breath figure method. However, it is still ambiguous how the polymer structure affects the morphologies of the films. In this work, poly(styrene-co-2-(2-,3-,4-,6-tetra-O-acetyl-β-d-glucosyloxy) ethyl methacrylate) (PS-co-AcGEMA) with well-defined linear and/or comb-like structures were synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). These glycopolymers were used as precursors for the fabrication of pattern films by the breath figure method. The regularity and pore size of the films are greatly influenced by the polymer structure and the solution concentration. Highly ordered pattern films can be prepared from the comb-like glycopolymer and the linear block glycopolymers with relatively long PAcGEMA segment. Further studies of lectin recognition on the honeycomb-patterned films demonstrate that the glucose-containing films can specifically recognize Con A. These bioactive honeycomb-patterned films have potential applications as templates, picoliter beakers for bioanalysis and cell culture materials.