Cationic polycarbonates via ring-opening polymerization: design, synthesis, and applications

Cationic polycarbonates are a class of very important polymers owing to their positively charged moieties and biodegradability. The positively charged moieties in cationic polycarbonates are able to combine anionic compounds such as nucleic acids and proteins to form the polyplexes. The biodegradability of cationic polycarbonates can reduce their toxicity. Here we summarized the reports on cationic polycarbonates via ring-opening polymerization from design and synthesis to applications. The synthetic methods of cationic polycarbonates mainly include ring-opening polymerization of cyclic carbonates containing amino groups and amination of functional polycarbonates. Cationic polycarbonates have been widely applied in biomedical fields such as drug release, gene delivery, and antimicrobial polymers.