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Related Concept Videos

Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:03

Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview

4.5K
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...
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Molecular Weight of Step-Growth Polymers01:08

Molecular Weight of Step-Growth Polymers

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Step growth polymerization involves bi or multifunctional monomers. Bifunctional monomers react to form linear step growth polymers, whereas multifunctional monomers react to form non-linear or branched polymers.
As the step-growth polymerization involves step-wise condensation of monomers, the molecular weight also builds up eventually. Consequently, high molecular weight polymers are obtained at the late stages of the polymerization, where 99% of monomers have been consumed.
The extent of the...
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Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:10

Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview

3.6K
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...
3.6K
Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism01:04

Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism

2.6K
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...
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Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:20

Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview

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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,...
2.7K
Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism01:09

Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism

3.6K
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...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 20, 2026

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level
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Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level

Published on: September 26, 2016

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Single polymer growth dynamics.

Chunming Liu1, Kaori Kubo1, Endian Wang2

  • 1Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14583, USA.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|October 21, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Scientists observed real-time polymer growth using magnetic tweezers, revealing distinct wait-and-jump steps during chain elongation. These steps are linked to monomer entanglements, impacting polymerization rates and polymer diversity.

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Area of Science:

  • Polymer Chemistry
  • Biophysics
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Chain-growth polymerization is fundamental but its real-time dynamics at the single-molecule level are poorly understood.
  • Understanding polymer growth mechanisms is crucial for designing novel materials with specific properties.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To visualize and analyze the real-time dynamics of single polymer chain growth.
  • To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying chain elongation in ring-opening metathesis polymerization.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized magnetic tweezers to apply controlled force and track single polymer extension in real-time.
  • Employed molecular dynamics simulations to model and understand observed polymerization phenomena.

Main Results:

  • Observed that polymer extension during ring-opening metathesis polymerization occurs in discrete "wait-and-jump" steps, not continuously.
  • Identified the formation and unraveling of conformational entanglements from newly incorporated monomers as the cause of these steps.
  • Demonstrated that entanglement configurations influence polymerization rates and the heterogeneity of polymer lengths.

Conclusions:

  • Single-polymer visualization reveals non-continuous growth dynamics in polymerization.
  • Conformational entanglements of monomers are critical determinants of polymerization kinetics and polymer length distribution.