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Controlled Polymerization of Multivinyl Monomers: Formation of Cyclized/Knotted Single‐Chain Polymer Architectures
Author(s) -
Gao Yongsheng,
Newland Ben,
Zhou Dezhong,
Matyjaszewski Krzysztof,
Wang Wenxin
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201608786
Subject(s) - polymerization , monomer , polymer , context (archaeology) , radical polymerization , polymer chemistry , polymer science , materials science , chemistry , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , paleontology , biology
Seventy years ago, Flory and Stockmayer predicted that the polymerization of multivinyl monomers (MVMs) would inevitably lead to insoluble cross‐linked gel networks. Since then, the use of MVMs has largely been limited to as cross‐linking agents. More recently, however, polymerization strategies such as reversible deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) have paved the way for the exploration of new possibilities in terms of both polymer architectures and functional capabilities. This Minireview provides historical context to the problem of polymerizing MVMs, before highlighting how RDRP has led to the formation of new cyclized/knotted polymer structures. Although the potential of such cyclized/knot polymer architectures is far from being fulfilled, some emerging applications are discussed.