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Related Concept Videos

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,...
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.
Polymers02:34

Polymers

The word polymer is derived from the Greek words “poly” which means “many” and “mer” which means “parts”. Polymers are long chains of molecules composed of repeating units of smaller molecules, known as monomers. They either occur naturally, such as DNA and proteins, or can be constructed synthetically, like plastics. They have varied structural characteristics, such as linear chains, branched chains, or complex networks, that contribute to the properties that they exhibit. Additionally,...
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,...
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: Overview01:10

Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview

Chain-growth or addition polymerization is successive addition reactions of monomers with a polymer chain. In radical chain-growth polymerization, the reaction proceeds via a free-radical intermediate. The free radical is formed from radical initiators, which spontaneously generate free radicals by homolytic fission. Organic peroxides (such as dibenzoyl peroxide, as shown in Figure 1) or azo compounds are popular radical initiators. A low concentration ratio of radical initiator to monomer is...

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Using Polystyrene-block-poly(acrylic acid)-coated Metal Nanoparticles as Monomers for Their Homo- and Co-polymerization
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Published on: July 9, 2015

Single-chain polymer nanoparticles.

Miren Karmele Aiertza1, Ibon Odriozola, Germán Cabañero

  • 1New Materials Department, Fundación CIDETEC, Parque Tecnológico de San Sebastián, Paseo Miramón 196, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.

Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences : CMLS
|October 22, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers review polymer nanoparticle (NP) synthesis via single-chain collapse. This efficient method creates well-defined NPs (1.5-20 nm) for nanomedicine applications like drug delivery and imaging.

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Area of Science:

  • Polymer Chemistry
  • Nanotechnology
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Controlled synthesis of polymer nanoparticles (NPs) is crucial for nanomedicine.
  • Existing methods often lack precise control over NP size and functionality.
  • Single-chain collapse offers an efficient route to well-defined polymer NPs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review synthetic strategies for single-chain polymer nanoparticles (SCPNs).
  • To discuss characterization techniques and properties of SCPNs.
  • To highlight applications of SCPNs in nanomedicine and future outlook.

Main Methods:

  • Gathering and categorizing literature on SCPN synthesis.
  • Focusing on four primary methods: homo-functional collapse, hetero-functional collapse, crosslinker-mediated collapse, and one-block collapse.
  • Reviewing characterization techniques and physical properties.

Main Results:

  • Single-chain collapse enables the synthesis of polymer NPs with controlled size (1.5-20 nm) and tailored functionalities.
  • Diverse synthetic strategies exist, categorized into four main approaches.
  • SCPNs exhibit tunable properties suitable for advanced applications.

Conclusions:

  • Single-chain collapse is a powerful technique for generating well-defined polymer nanoparticles.
  • SCPNs hold significant promise for drug delivery, imaging, and other nanomedicine applications.
  • Further research into synthetic methods and applications is warranted.