Radical Polymerization: Reversing the Irreversible?

摘要

Free radical polymerization is arguably the most frequently employed method to generate polymeric materials with a wide variety of properties. Over the last 15 years, the field has experienced significant attention owing to the advent of polymerization protocols that can impart living characteristics onto the polymerization process and allow an exact tailoring of the polymer topology and molecular weight. Concomitantly, the study of the mechanism and kinetics of radical polymerization processes has experienced increased interest, as a thorough understanding of the underpinning polymerization processes, including accurate knowledge of the rate coefficients governing the elemental reactions that constitute the polymerization, is required for the design of well-defined polymers. A particular area of interest is the detailed study of the initiation processes of radical polymerizations.