Molecularly imprinted polymers are tailor-made biomimetic receptors obtained by polymerization with molecular templates. To solve general problems associated with these materials, in particular their morphological and binding site heterogeneity, controlled/living radical polymerization methods are increasingly used for their synthesis. This also facilitates their generation as nanomaterials, nanocomposites and thin films.

This short report describes progress in heterogeneous polymerizations in supercritical carbon dioxide with a particular focus upon recent developments in the application of RAFT dispersion techniques to prepare microparticles of block copolymers using this novel solvent system.

The present paper details the synthesis, characterization, and preliminary physical analyses of a series of polyisobutylene derivatives featuring urethane and urea end-groups that enable supramolecular network formation to occur via hydrogen bonding – these materials exhibit interesting thermoreversible and elastomeric properties.