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Related Concept Videos

Molecular Weight of Step-Growth Polymers01:08

Molecular Weight of Step-Growth Polymers

2.3K
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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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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Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:20

Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview

2.1K
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,...
2.1K
Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:10

Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview

2.5K
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...
2.5K
Characteristics and Nomenclature of Copolymers01:24

Characteristics and Nomenclature of Copolymers

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Copolymers are the products obtained from the polymerization of multiple monomer species. So, in a polymer chain itself, there can be multiple repeating units that come from different monomers. The process of synthesizing a polymer from different monomer species is called copolymerization. When two monomers are involved, the polymer is known as a bipolymer. Polymers with three and four monomers are termed terpolymers and quaterpolymers, respectively. Figure 1 depicts the copolymerization of...
2.6K
Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism00:57

Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism

2.4K
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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Synthesis of Monodisperse Cylindrical Nanoparticles via Crystallization-driven Self-assembly of Biodegradable Block Copolymers
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A universal method for analyzing copolymer growth.

Benjamin Qureshi1, Jordan Juritz1, Jenny M Poulton2

  • 1Department of Bioengineering and Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom.

The Journal of Chemical Physics
|March 15, 2023
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study introduces a new analytical method for studying copolymerization, eliminating the need for complex simulations. This approach provides direct derivation of thermodynamic, kinetic, and statistical properties of copolymers.

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Area of Science:

  • Polymer Science
  • Chemical Kinetics
  • Statistical Mechanics

Background:

  • Copolymers, polymers with multiple monomer types, are crucial in biological and synthetic applications.
  • Theoretical copolymerization studies often use Markov processes, typically requiring simulations for complex models.
  • Existing methods struggle with general models, including non-equilibrium processes and neighbor-dependent reactions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a general analytical method for studying copolymerization processes.
  • To overcome the limitations of simulation-based analyses for complex copolymerization models.
  • To enable direct derivation of copolymer properties without numerical simulations.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a general analytical framework for copolymerization processes.
  • The method accommodates arbitrary sub-step networks, including kinetic proofreading.
  • Incorporates neighbor-dependency and thermodynamically self-consistent (microscopically reversible) models.

Main Results:

  • The new method allows for direct analytical or numerical derivation of copolymer properties.
  • Enables calculation of thermodynamic (e.g., chemical work), kinetic (e.g., growth time), and statistical (e.g., monomer distribution) quantities.
  • Applicable to a wide range of copolymerization models, including non-equilibrium and complex reaction networks.

Conclusions:

  • The presented analytical method offers a powerful, simulation-free approach to copolymerization.
  • Facilitates a deeper understanding of copolymer formation and properties.
  • Broadens the scope of theoretically tractable copolymerization models.