| OBSERVATION'S |
Controlled--or living--radical polymerization is possibly the most dynamically developing area of polymer science and perhaps chemistry, according to author. Interest in controlled radical polymerization has exploded in the past decade, with nearly 1,000 papers a year presently being published," he told participants at a symposium on the topic at the American Chemical Society national meeting in Boston last month. The symposium was organized by author. and sponsored by the Division of Polymer Chemistry. "The first papers on the topic were published in the mid-1990s," he said. "There is also a huge industrial interest, with active patent activity related to a market estimated at $20 billion per year. Controlled radical polymerization can be used to make polymeric materials with nanoscale morphologies as well as high-performance materials such as adhesives, lubricants, gels, and materials for biomedical and electronic applications." In controlled radical polymerization, radicals are generated reversibly, whereas in conventional radical polymerization, radical generation is irreversible. Controlled radical polymerization is often referred to as living radical polymerization and vice versa. "Living radical polymerization" is, in many ways, still an ideal concept, given that none of the processes discussed at the Boston meeting fully meets the criteria of "living" polymerization. "The terms 'controlled radical polymerization' or 'controlled/living radical polymerization' have been used by those authors who do not believe 'living radical polymerization' is appropriate nomenclature, since none of the radical polymerization processes is truly living," he noted. "The processes all suffer from some degree of death, particularly at the early stage of the process and again at high conversion of monomer to polymer." The terms are interchangeable, he added. "They indicate that polymerization processes have been developed that allow for control over a great number of polymer parameters including composition, architecture, and functionality," he said. |
| UPDATE | 09.02 |
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| LITERATURE REF. | This data is not available for free |
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