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Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Controlled Photoredox Ring-Opening Polymerization of O-Carboxyanhydrides Mediated by Ni/Zn Complexes
Published on: November 21, 2017
Controllable polymerization of N-carboxy anhydrides in a microreaction system
Takeshi Honda1, Masaya Miyazaki, Hiroyuki Nakamura
1Nanotechnology Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 807-1 Shuku, Tosu, Saga 841-0052, Japan.
Abstract:
We have developed a microfluidic system for polymerization of amino acid N-carboxyanhydride and compared the properties of the products with those obtained by batchwise system under various experimental conditions. It was found that the microreactor produced polymers with narrower molecular weight distribution compared with polymers obtained by the batchwise system. Also, the molecular mass of the polymer produced using the microreactor was simply governed by the flow (pumping) rate. These results indicated that the microreactor could be a model for synthesis of amino acid polymer with highly controllable average molecular weight and molecular weight distribution.
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