Functional Zwitterionic Polymers on Surface: Structures and Applications

Abstract

Zwitterionic polymers are important in a wide range of industrial, biological and medical fields. Their chemical structures include an equal amount of anion and cation groups, and such structures give rise to many unique functionalities, such as temperature response, anti-polyelectrolyte effect, and strong hydration properties. In this review, we focus on the structures and applications of functional zwitterionic polymers on surfaces. We review three areas of applications according to the architecture of the polymeric systems: surface coating, complex solutions, and hydrogel. We review the simulation and theory work and highlight some outlooks for further development.

Keywords: functional polymer surfaces; hydrogels; zwitterionic polymers.