These polymers are synthesised by quasiliving carbocationic, radical or ring-opening polymerization, after which they are altered in a number of ways via the incorporation of mid-chain and/or chain-end functional groups, or sometimes through degradative techniques. The polymers thus produced are used as the building blocks of novel macromolecular structures (e.g. nanostructured amphiphilic conetworks), composites or copolymers of various structures.