ABSTRACT
A key challenge of polymer chemistry is the synthesis and development of polymeric materials whose chemical and physical characteristics fit their intended field of application. In general, three distinct features of a polymer determine these properties: the chemical composition, the topology, and the nature and distribution of chemical functional groups, as these determine potential chemical reactivity or physical interactions with the environment. A polymer which has been extensively used in polymer chemistry due to the versatile end-group chemistry is polycaprolactone (PCL). The chapter presents a brief overview about the most significant recent advances which have been made in the synthesis of telechelic PCLs, and highlights their utilization in the preparation of functional polymeric materials. It focuses on the application fields of drug delivery systems and shape-memory polymers. The chapter explores how the polymeric building blocks have been utilized to create different advanced functional polymers.
