Functionalization of aliphatic polyketones

Although aliphatic polyketones built from carbon monoxide and olefins have not yet found widespread application in industry and everyday life, this material has great potential, as its properties can be tuned, almost boundlessly, to desired traits or values. For example, the melting temperature and the phase transition temperatures can be varied largely, therefore making it possible to design a polymeric material with adjustable properties. Regardless of its feasibility for replacing common commodity polymers such as polypropylene or polyethylene in some special utilization areas, we want to highlight some aspects for the great potential of aliphatic polyketones as a functional material in drug delivery, bioengineering, optical devices, and other applications.