Templated polymerizations on solid supports mediated by complementary nucleoside interactions†

Template-directed radical polymerizations on solid supports are presented, which take advantage of complementary nucleoside interactions in non-polar solvents. The templates are prepared through copper-mediated living radical polymerization allowing control over the length and dispersity of the polymer bound to the support. We report a degree of control over subsequent polymerization of a complementary base pair monomer in the presence of the template not observed in its absence. Templates achieved from uridine, adenosine, cytidine and guanosine substituted methacrylate monomers were successfully prepared. Uridine derived templates were found to provide good fidelity of replication by incorporating mainly adenosine monomer in the final polymer, from a mixture of monomers. The latter was separated from its template and characterized demonstrating the preparation of polymers of approximately half of the template length. A model for the templating process is proposed.