RAFT polymerization and some of its applications

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) is a highly versatile controlled radical polymerization technique.
• RAFT enables precise synthesis of polymers with controlled molecular weights and architectures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review advancements in RAFT polymerization facilitated by continuous flow and high-throughput methodologies.
• To highlight diverse applications of RAFT-synthesized polymers.

Main Methods:

• Focus on the integration of continuous flow reactors and high-throughput screening in RAFT polymerization.
• Discuss the selection of RAFT agents and reaction conditions for various monomers.

Main Results:

• RAFT polymerization is applicable to most monomers, yielding well-defined polymers.
• Continuous flow and high-throughput methods accelerate RAFT development and application.
• Successful synthesis of various polymer architectures including block copolymers, star polymers, and polymer brushes.

Conclusions:

• RAFT polymerization, enhanced by flow chemistry, provides robust control over polymer synthesis.
• This approach facilitates the creation of advanced polymers for optoelectronics, therapeutics, and material science applications.