Degradable hyperbranched polymers with multiple alkyl halide chain ends were synthesized by the atom transfer radical polymerization of inimers containing ester (2-(2'-bromopropionyloxy)ethyl acrylate) or disulfide (2-(2'-bromoisobutyryloxy)ethyl 2 ''-methacryloyloxyethyl disulfide) groups Both the homo- and copolymerizations (with styrene in the former case and methyl methacrylate in the latter) were studied The hyperbranched polymers derived from the ester-type inimer were hydrolytically degradable under basic conditions, whereas those derived from the disulfide-containing inimer could be efficiently degraded in the presence of reducing agents such as tributyl phosphine. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc J Polym Set Part A Polym Chem 47. 6839-6851, 2009