Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism01:04

Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism

The mechanism for anionic chain-growth polymerization involves initiation, propagation, and termination steps. In the initiation step, a nucleophilic anion, such as butyl lithium, initiates the polymerization process by attacking the π bond of the vinylic monomer. As a result, a carbanion, stabilized by the electron‐withdrawing group, is generated. The resulting carbanion acts as a Michael donor in the propagation step and attacks the second vinylic monomer, which acts as a Michael acceptor.
Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:20

Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview

The polymerization process that involves carbanion as an intermediate is called anionic polymerization. It is also a type of addition or chain-growth polymerization. Anionic polymerization gets initiated by a strong nucleophile such as an organolithium or a Grignard reagent. The most commonly used initiator for anionic polymerization is butyl lithium. Monomers involved in anionic polymerization must possess a vinyl group bonded to one or two electron-withdrawing groups. For instance,...
Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism00:57

Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism

The cationic polymerization mechanism consists of three steps: initiation, propagation, and termination. In the initiation step of the polymerization process, the π bond of a monomer gets protonated by the Lewis acid catalyst, which is formed from boron trifluoride and water. The protonation of the π bond generates a carbocation stabilized by the electron‐donating group. In the propagation step, the π bond of the second monomer acts as a nucleophile and attacks the generated carbocation,...
Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:03

Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview

Step-growth or condensation polymerization is a stepwise reaction of bi or multifunctional monomers to form long-chain polymers. As all the monomers are reactive, most of the monomers are consumed at the early stages of the reaction to form small chains of reactive oligomers, which then combine to form long polymer chains in the late stages. Hence, the reaction has to proceed for a long time to achieve high molecular weight polymers.
Many natural and synthetic polymers are produced by...
Ziegler–Natta Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:17

Ziegler–Natta Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview

Ziegler–Natta polymerization is another form of addition or chain‐growth polymerization used for synthesizing linear polymers over branched polymers. The catalyst used for polymerization is the Ziegler–Natta catalyst, named after Karl Ziegler and Giulio Natta, who developed it in 1953. This catalyst is an organometallic complex of titanium tetrachloride and triethyl aluminum, with the active form of the catalyst being an alkyl titanium compound. Using the Ziegler–Natta catalyst, high molecular...
Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism01:09

Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism

The radical chain-growth polymerization mechanism consists of three steps: initiation, propagation, and termination of polymerization. The polymerization initiates when a free radical generated from the radical initiator adds to the unsaturated bond in the monomer. The unpaired electron of the free radical and one π electron in the unsaturated bond creates a σ bond between the free radical and the monomer. As a result, the other π electron in the unsaturated bond converts this species into the...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Autonomous Motion Vision with Tri-bulk-heterojunctioned Organic Adaptation Transistor.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Organic Transistor with Dual-Heterojunctions Embedded Dielectric for Trimodal Self-Adaptation Vision.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2026
Same author

Confined Assembly of Polymer Nanowires for High-Performance Organic Thermoelectrics.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2026
Same author

Mechanically Programmable Tristate Molecular Switching Through Controlled Fullerene Assembly.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2026
Same author

Engineering Molecular Assembly for High Performance Plastic Thermoelectrics.

Accounts of chemical research·2026
Same author

Irregular hierarchical-porous polymer for high-performance soft thermoelectrics.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Self-assembling Morphologies Obtained from Helical Polycarbodiimide Copolymers and Their Triazole Derivatives
09:22

Self-assembling Morphologies Obtained from Helical Polycarbodiimide Copolymers and Their Triazole Derivatives

Published on: February 7, 2017

Progress in polydiacetylene nanowires by self-assembly and selfpolymerization.

Weidong Zhou1, Yuliang Li, Daoben Zhu

  • 1Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Center for Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beiijng, 100080, China.

Chemistry, an Asian Journal
|April 19, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Polydiacetylenes (PDAs) are being studied for nanoscale structures and technological uses. Their unique properties enable applications in sensing, actuating, and nonlinear optics, with a focus on 1D assembly systems.

More Related Videos

Synthesis of Monodisperse Cylindrical Nanoparticles via Crystallization-driven Self-assembly of Biodegradable Block Copolymers
11:42

Synthesis of Monodisperse Cylindrical Nanoparticles via Crystallization-driven Self-assembly of Biodegradable Block Copolymers

Published on: June 20, 2019

Grafting Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes with Polystyrene to Enable Self-Assembly and Anisotropic Patchiness
11:09

Grafting Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes with Polystyrene to Enable Self-Assembly and Anisotropic Patchiness

Published on: April 1, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Self-assembling Morphologies Obtained from Helical Polycarbodiimide Copolymers and Their Triazole Derivatives
09:22

Self-assembling Morphologies Obtained from Helical Polycarbodiimide Copolymers and Their Triazole Derivatives

Published on: February 7, 2017

Synthesis of Monodisperse Cylindrical Nanoparticles via Crystallization-driven Self-assembly of Biodegradable Block Copolymers
11:42

Synthesis of Monodisperse Cylindrical Nanoparticles via Crystallization-driven Self-assembly of Biodegradable Block Copolymers

Published on: June 20, 2019

Grafting Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes with Polystyrene to Enable Self-Assembly and Anisotropic Patchiness
11:09

Grafting Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes with Polystyrene to Enable Self-Assembly and Anisotropic Patchiness

Published on: April 1, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Nanotechnology
  • Polymer Chemistry

Background:

  • Polydiacetylenes (PDAs) are a class of polymers with unique optical and electronic properties.
  • Interest in nanoscale aggregate structures of PDAs is growing for fundamental understanding and technological applications.
  • PDAs can be functionalized to respond to external stimuli like light and chemicals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent advancements in the development of well-defined one-dimensional (1D) assembly systems of polydiacetylenes.
  • To highlight the potential of PDA-based nanomaterials for sensing, actuating, and nonlinear optical applications.
  • To showcase the direct imaging of these 1D PDA structures using microscopic techniques.

Main Methods:

  • Incorporation of spectroscopically active moieties or receptor units into PDA head groups.
  • Development of strategies for controlled self-assembly into 1D nanostructures.
  • Utilizing microscopic techniques for direct imaging and characterization of the assembled structures.

Main Results:

  • Successful creation of polydiacetylenes sensitive to external stimuli (light, chemical entities).
  • Demonstration of PDA's suitability for sensing and actuating applications.
  • Exploitation of pi-conjugated electron delocalization for organic nonlinear optical materials.
  • Development of 1D PDA assembly systems with high structural aspect ratios.

Conclusions:

  • Polydiacetylenes offer versatile platforms for creating functional nanomaterials.
  • The ability to form well-defined 1D structures is key to their advanced applications.
  • Continued research into PDA self-assembly promises significant technological advancements.