Abstract
Postpolymerization modifi cation—the installation of functional groups into a premade, reactive polymeric precursor—is emerging as an advantageous synthetic strategy toward tailored materials. In this article, the preparation of environmentally sensitive, “smart,” polymers by virtue of postpolymerization modifi cation is presented. The underlying fundamentals of different types of stimulusresponsiveness are highlighted with an emphasis on thermoresponsiveness, encompassing lower and upper critical solution temperature (LCST and UCST) behavior. Using a range of postpolymerization modifi cations as examples, properties imparted through incorporation of specifi c functional groups and their structure–property relations are discussed. Strategies for an appropriate choice of functionality in order to obtain well-defi ned materials with custom-made behavior are presented.