{
  "abstract": "Precise control over the presence and position of knots in polymers remains a long-standing synthetic challenge, with theory indicating broad implications for properties and function. Here we report on a topological synthon approach-extension and macrocyclization of an overhand knot-that enables the high yielding synthesis of closed-loop trefoiled polymers with narrow polydispersity and tunable topological parameters. From the same set of building blocks we prepared linear, cyclic and trefoiled topoisomers of matched chemical composition, allowing topology-property relationships to be examined directly. Low-temperature ultrahigh-vacuum scanning tunnelling microscopy resolved three conformers of trefoiled polystyrene, with high-, medium- and low-symmetry forms whose populations depend on chain length, local flexibility and solvation. Coarse‑grained Langevin dynamics reproduce these distributions and indicate that bending energy and conformational entropy govern conformer stability. Metal binding localizes the knotted region, reminiscent of protein/DNA knot translocation. The synthon also affords trefoiled poly(ethylene glycol) and trefoiled polystyrene-poly(ethylene glycol) diblock copolymers, demonstrating the generality of the approach across polymer backbones.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China",
    "State Key Laboratory of Radio Frequency Heterogeneous Integration, College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, People's Republic of China",
    "State Key Laboratory of Organometallic Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, People's Republic of China",
    "Department of Chemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China",
    "Department of Macromolecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China",
    "Instrumental Analytical Center of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China",
    "Department of Physics, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China. liangdai@cityu.edu.hk",
    "State Key Laboratory of Organometallic Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, People's Republic of China. xiaopengli@sioc.ac.cn",
    "State Key Laboratory of Radio Frequency Heterogeneous Integration, College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, People's Republic of China. xiaopengli@sioc.ac.cn",
    "Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. david.leigh@manchester.ac.uk",
    "School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China. david.leigh@manchester.ac.uk",
    "Department of Chemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China. zhangliang@chem.ecnu.edu.cn",
    "School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China. zhangliang@chem.ecnu.edu.cn"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 19,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Chenchen Du"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Zhi Chen",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-2639-1375"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Changqing Xu",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3827-8820"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zhanhu Sun",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1207-781X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zhi-Hui Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "X K Liu",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0812-9138"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Binhua Chen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Chenxin Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Zhikai Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Yin Rao",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6227-386X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Deao Xu",
      "orcid": "0009-0000-0542-4732"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Ningjin Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Qiaowei Li",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5987-9465"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Heng Wang",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6829-7205"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Hai Qian",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5304-132X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Liang Dai",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4672-6283"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7,
        8
      ],
      "name": "Xiaopeng Li",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9655-9551"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        9,
        10
      ],
      "name": "David A. Leigh",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1202-4507"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        11,
        12
      ],
      "name": "Liang Zhang",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8605-8681"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/541f3v5z4qa8m.bib",
  "cited_by": 5,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41557-026-02197-4",
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  "id": "541f3v5z4qa8m",
  "issns": [
    "1755-4330",
    "1755-4349"
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  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-026-02197-4",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
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      "1605|Advanced Polymer Synthesis and Characterization"
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  "pdf_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41557-026-02197-4.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13623649",
  "pmid": "42374151",
  "published": "2026-06-29",
  "publisher": "Nature Portfolio",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/541f3v5z4qa8m.ris",
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      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-026-02197-4"
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:1605|Advanced Polymer Synthesis and Characterization",
      "subfield": "organic"
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  "title": "Trefoil polymers from a knotted synthon",
  "title_text": "Trefoil polymers from a knotted synthon",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-08T13:20:39Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/541f3v5z4qa8m",
  "venue": "Nature Chemistry",
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}