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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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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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Polymers

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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...
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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...
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Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:03

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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.
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Ethylene Polymerizations Using Parallel Pressure Reactors and a Kinetic Analysis of Chain Transfer Polymerization
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Polymer looping kinetics in active heterogeneous environments.

Bingjie Zhang1, Fei Tan1, Nanrong Zhao1

  • 1College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China. zhaonanr@scu.edu.cn.

Soft Matter
|November 4, 2021
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study uses Langevin dynamics to explore polymer looping in crowded, heterogeneous environments. We found that particle activity and crowding can surprisingly facilitate or inhibit polymer looping, revealing complex kinetics.

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Chemical Physics
  • Computational Biology

Background:

  • Biological environments are crowded and heterogeneous, impacting macromolecule reaction kinetics.
  • Understanding polymer looping is crucial for biological processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate polymer looping kinetics in active and passive heterogeneous media.
  • Analyze the effects of obstacles, volume fraction, and crowder size on looping dynamics.
  • Explore the transition phenomena and non-trivial crowder size effects.

Main Methods:

  • Langevin dynamics simulations.
  • Systematic investigation of polymer looping in crowded heterogeneous media.
  • Comparative study in active and passive media.

Main Results:

  • Revealed an inhibition-facilitation transition of polymer looping rates due to heterogeneity, crowding, and activity.
  • Demonstrated non-trivial crowder size effects on looping kinetics.
  • Observed strengthened heterogeneity in looping kinetics with increased activity and crowding.

Conclusions:

  • The interplay of polymer diffusion, conformational changes, and free-energy barriers explains the observed phenomena.
  • Active particles and obstacles compete, influencing polymer structure and dynamics.
  • Activity and crowding significantly alter the heterogeneity of polymer looping kinetics.