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Related Concept Videos

Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:03

Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview

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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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Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism01:09

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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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Actin Polymerization01:42

Actin Polymerization

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Actin polymerization occurs through the head-to-tail association of binding sites on monomeric actin or G-actin to form filamentous or F-actin. The polymerization can be divided into three phases ̶  nucleation, elongation, and steady-state phase.
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Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism01:04

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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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Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism00:57

Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism

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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...
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Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Chain Branching01:17

Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Chain Branching

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The skeletal structure of polymers synthesized via radical polymerization is always branched. For example, the polymerization of ethylene by radical polymerization results in a low-density grade of polyethylene with a heavily branched skeletal structure. Here, the radical site abstracts hydrogen from the growing chain, and the radical site shifts from the end (a primary carbon center) to anywhere within the growing chain (a secondary carbon center). Consequently, the part of the chain from the...
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Spontaneous Patterning during Frontal Polymerization.

Evan M Lloyd1,2, Elizabeth C Feinberg1,3, Yuan Gao1,4

  • 1Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States.

ACS Central Science
|May 31, 2021
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed a new method for creating complex patterns in synthetic materials using frontal polymerization. This technique allows for spontaneous patterning of material properties without traditional manufacturing tools.

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Polymer Chemistry
  • Chemical Engineering

Background:

  • Biological materials exhibit complex patterns during morphogenesis, essential for their function.
  • Conventional manufacturing of patterned synthetic materials is often complex and multistep, limiting accessibility.
  • Developing facile routes to patterned synthetic materials is crucial for advanced applications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the use of frontal polymerization for spontaneous pattern formation in engineering polymers.
  • To demonstrate control over material properties through reaction-kinetics and thermal transport during synthesis.
  • To establish a mask-free, mold-free, and printer-free method for creating spatially varying materials.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing rapid reaction-thermal transport during frontal polymerization.
  • Tuning reaction kinetics and thermal transport to control thermal gradients.
  • Synthesizing poly(cyclooctadiene) and poly(dicyclopentadiene) via frontal polymerization.

Main Results:

  • Achieved spontaneous patterning of morphological, chemical, optical, and mechanical properties.
  • Demonstrated a two-orders-of-magnitude change in modulus for poly(cyclooctadiene).
  • Obtained a 20 °C change in glass transition temperature for poly(dicyclopentadiene).

Conclusions:

  • Frontal polymerization offers a facile route to patterned structural materials with complex microstructures.
  • This method bypasses the need for conventional manufacturing techniques like masks, molds, or printers.
  • Further control over reaction-transport fronts may enable spontaneous growth of complex synthetic material structures.