Helical poly(isocyanides): past, present and future

Stable helical polymers with a preferred handedness are compounds that offer intriguing characteristics. This review describes the progress in the synthesis of helical polyisocyanides and the investigations to determine their structural properties, such as helical pitch and handedness, by spectroscopic measurements and high resolution AFM. This review is not intended to be comprehensive; its purpose is to highlight recent studies that allow a better understanding of the main aspects of helical polyisocyanides.