Step-growth polymerization in the 21st century

A.P. Dove, M.A.R. Meier

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Step-growth polymerization has been an important academic and industrial tool for polymer synthesis for many years. From the pioneering work of Carothers to more-contemporary work, the relevance of this important technique never ceases. Most likely, this is on account of the extremely broad range of chemical reactions that can be applied to form polymers in combination with a vast range of possible starting materials. Beyond the traditional areas of polycondensation, such as polyesters and poly amides, more recently, 'click' reactions, olefin metathesis, multicomponent reactions, and many others have been used for step-growth polymerization. Such facile and versatile chemistries allow a fine-tuning of chemical structure and thus also of the properties of the obtained materials. Unsurprisingly, given the current focus on sustainable development, many studies are also investigating the application of reactions, both old and new, to create new materials from renewable resources, helping to keep this field very vivid. Moreover, the versatility of these approaches drives researchers to create advanced materials with emerging or improved application possibilities. The contributions to this special issue cover all of these aspects and present a modern perspective to this long-established field of polymerization reactions
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2135-2137
Number of pages3
JournalMacromolecular Chemistry and Physics
Volume215
Issue number22
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 17 Nov 2014

Keywords

  • Step‐growth polymerization

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