By coupling two equivalents of N,N-diethyldithiocarbamoylmethylbenzoic acid succinimidyl ester with cystamine dihydrochloride, a disulfide-carrying compound (Cys-BDC) was prepared and used as iniferter (a compound which pursues initiation, chain transfer, and termination) in the telomerization of N,N-dimethylacrylamide and 3-acrylamidophenylboronic acid. The telomerization was carried out in the presence of N,N,N',N'-tetraethylthiuram disulfide under photoirradiation at 365 nm. An aqueous solution of the telomer obtained showed responsiveness to both temperature and sugars as confirmed by the turbidity measurements. The telomer formed a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) on a gold surface as confirmed by both cyclic voltammetry (CV) and ellipsometry. The recognition of sugar residues by the telomer SAM constructed on the gold electrode was detected by the CV measurements. The usefulness of the iniferter to prepare various telomer-carrying SAMs with bio-related functions was strongly suggested. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.