Easy access to a family of polymer catalysts from modular star polymers.

We report a versatile and scalable synthesis of a water-dispersible modular star polymer platform with an enzyme-inspired hydrophobic interior. The cores of the stars can be functionalized at will, independently from the modification of the polymer structure. We explored the use of this material for the creation of a local hydrophobic solvent environment in water and for site isolation of incompatible catalytic entities.