Although the first polysarcosine (pSar) synthesis by Wesseley et al. was reported almost a century ago, it was only recently that pSar gained broader attention and is considered a potential alternative of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). In contrast to polyethers, such as PEG, pSar is a polypeptoid based on the amino acid sarcosine, i.e. N-methylated glycine. As a polymer, pSar combines PEG-like properties, e.g., excellent solubility in water, protein resistance, low cellular toxicity and a non-immunogenic character, while being based on endogenous material. Sarcosine can be obtained in a simple one-step reaction of bromoacetic acid and methylamine, easily transferred into the sarcosine N-(thio)carboxyanhydride and polymerized under living condition. This review provides a first comprehensive overview on pSar-containing block copolymers, which comprises of copolymers with polyesters, polyethers, polypeptides, polypeptoids, polyacrylates, others, as well as graft copolymers. The synthesis, characteristics and application of such polymers will be presented and discussed in detail. Finally, solution self-assembly and applications of pSar-containing block copolymers are reviewed underlining the enormous potential of this recently rediscovered polypeptoidic material.

虽然由Wesseley等人首先合成了聚肌氨酸（pSar）。据报道，近一个世纪前，pSar才获得更广泛的关注，并被认为是聚乙二醇（PEG）的潜在替代品。与聚醚（例如PEG）相反，pSar是基于氨基酸肌氨酸（即N-甲基化甘氨酸）的类肽。作为一种聚合物，pSar基于内源性材料，具有类似PEG的特性，例如在水中的优异溶解性，蛋白质抗性，低细胞毒性和非免疫原性。肌氨酸可以通过溴乙酸和甲胺的简单一步反应制得，很容易转移到肌氨酸氮中-（硫代）羧基酸酐，在生活条件下发生聚合。这篇综述首次对含pSar的嵌段共聚物进行了全面概述，该共聚物包括与聚酯，聚醚，多肽，类肽，聚丙烯酸酯等的共聚物，以及接枝共聚物。将详细介绍和讨论这类聚合物的合成，特征和应用。最后，对含pSar嵌段共聚物的溶液自组装和应用进行了综述，强调了这种最近重新发现的多肽材料的巨大潜力。