Progress in biodegradable zwitterionic materials

Zwitterionic polymers, consisting of polymer backbone of ester or amide (meth) acrylic acid or pyrrolidinium, exhibit excellent non-fouling property, and have received great attention since last decade. However, these polymers lack important biodegradability for their application in biomedicine or marine field. Developing degradable zwitterionic polymers will solve problem associated with traditional zwitterionic polymers and increase their potential to be used in biomedicine for achieving both non-fouling and degradability. Herein, we present a comprehensive review describing various strategies developed till now for achieving degradable zwitterionic materials. Synthesis and applications of zwitterionic polymers based on various biodegradable polyesters, polypeptides, and natural polysaccharides (chitosan, starch and cellulose) have been critically reviewed and summarized. The basic structural characteristics and properties of different types of zwitterionic materials and biodegradable zwitterionic materials have also been introduced briefly. To the best our knowledge, this is the first review focusing on biodegradable zwitterionic materials.

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