Polymers have been used since ancient times, but how will they revolutionise the future of nanotechnology and medicine?

Macromolecules are widely used in everyday life and have been with mankind since ancient times. This article covers what they are, their historical development, and explores their potential applications in future nanotechnology and medicine, particularly through the properties of block copolymers.

 

In this blog post, I’d like to talk about macromolecules, an area of research that is leading the way in chemical engineering. A macromolecule is a type of molecule. What is a molecule? A molecule is the smallest particle that has the properties of a substance. Think of the glass in a window. If you cut it, and cut it, and cut it, and cut it, and cut it, eventually the material you cut is not glass, but rather the more fundamental particles that make up the substance called glass. The smallest substance that can be called glass, the one just before it breaks down into those non-glass particles, is called a glass molecule.
A polymer is one such molecule, especially one that is very large. As the aggregates of molecules become larger, their properties become more complex, beyond simple chemical structures. Many of the things we see around us are actually made up of polymers. Examples include DNA, which contains our genetic information, natural polymers like paper, and synthetic polymers called ‘plastics’. These polymeric objects are deeply embedded in our everyday lives, and people have been using polymers naturally since ancient times.
Materials such as burlap and natural rubber are actually polymers, suggesting that humans have been utilising polymers since before history. The concept of polymers was first coined by German chemist H. Staudinger in 1922, but forms of polymers existed long before that. In 1907, Belgian L. H. Baekeland successfully synthesised and commercialised Bakelite, the first synthetic polymer in human history. This discovery opened the door to the use of polymers in many fields.
However, it wasn’t all plain sailing for polymer research: in the early 20th century, many scientists were reluctant to accept that polymers existed, believing that many small molecules clustered together determined the properties of a substance. Researchers at the time thought that the mere presence of many small molecules in close proximity explained the properties of materials such as rubber and burlap. However, Staudinger discovered that the molecules that made up these materials were themselves very large, and the concept of polymers was born.
So what is a polymer? The word polymer is often used interchangeably with the word polymer. A polymer is a type of macromolecule, which means a large molecule formed by repeating smaller units. To illustrate the difference between polymers and polymers, a polymer is like a beaded necklace made of only certain beads. Polymers, on the other hand, are more akin to a piece of jewellery that you would wear around your neck regardless of what the necklace is made of. In other words, polymers are a type of polymer, but polymers encompass a broader concept.
Polymers are very special properties in their own right. The properties of a polymer are largely dependent on the types of units that make up the polymer and how they are arranged. This results in a variety of characteristics that distinguish them from ordinary molecules. For example, polymers are inherently durable and flexible, which allows them to be utilised in a variety of industries. To study the properties of these polymers, many researchers are synthesising different polymers to explore their possibilities.
Among these polymers, block copolymers are of particular interest. Block copolymers are polymers that are made up of two or more different monomers, and their structure is very unique. A block copolymer is made up of two different types of monomers arranged in a certain order, each of which has different properties. For example, one may be highly soluble in water and the other insoluble in water. Polymers that combine units with different properties open up a wide range of application possibilities.
An example of a block copolymer is a commercially available ‘marmite’ snack. Just as half of a gummy is one colour and the other half is another, block copolymers have a similar structure. Each unit has a tendency to interact with parts that have similar properties to itself, and they have the property of self-arranging. For example, if you put a bunch of dream webs together, similar colours will try to get as close together as possible.
This property of block copolymers has great potential in many areas of science and technology. In nanotechnology in particular, block copolymers can form complex nanostructures with self-assembling structures. For example, they can be used to make nano-scale electronic components, or even to mimic biological tissue. This will enable highly precise work in the future that is not possible with existing technologies.
Block copolymers also show promise in the field of medicine, with applications in drug delivery systems gaining traction. Conventional drugs travel around the body, affecting not only the sick parts but also the healthy ones. For example, chemotherapy often destroys not only cancer cells but also healthy cells, causing side effects. But with block copolymers, drugs can be controlled so that they are delivered only to specific areas. For example, a drug can be designed to only act near cancer cells, making it possible to deliver the drug only to cancer cells. This would minimise the side effects of chemotherapy and pave the way for more effective treatments.
Polymers are no longer just for plastic bins and tyre rubber – they will play a major role in future advances in science and technology. Polymers can be used to make ‘fake glass’ that is stronger and lighter than glass, or as a material for curvy displays, and they can be used to develop adhesives that stay sticky even after being applied and removed many times. Polymers also hold the promise of providing cures for diseases such as cancer.
It’s no exaggeration to call the era we live in the ‘polymer age’ – after the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age, we’re now on the cusp of a polymer-driven future. We hope this article has familiarised you with polymers and got you excited about the polymer age to come. Thank you for listening to the polymer story so far.