Synthetic and biological polymers--merging the interface

The increasing control that synthetic chemists are able to exert over molecular architecture is allowing the design and preparation of macromolecular and polymeric systems of unprecedented sophistication. In form and function, synthetic polymers are able to mimic many biological polymers, in effect ‘blurring the boundaries’ between the worlds of artificial and natural materials. In this review, some key examples from the merging interface between synthetic and natural polymers are considered, and illustrations of both ‘bio-inspired’ synthetic macromolecular chemistry and new directions in polymer materials are given.