Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Characteristics and Nomenclature of Copolymers01:24

Characteristics and Nomenclature of Copolymers

3.2K
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...
3.2K
Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism00:57

Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism

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

Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism

3.3K
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...
3.3K
Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:20

Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview

2.5K
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,...
2.5K
Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Chain Branching01:17

Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Chain Branching

2.4K
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...
2.4K
Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:10

Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview

3.1K
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...
3.1K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Comprehensive Characterization of Drying Oil Oxidation and Polymerization Using Time-Resolved Infrared Spectroscopy.

Macromolecules·2024
Same author

Using the Quartz Crystal Microbalance to Monitor the Curing of Drying Oils.

Analytical chemistry·2024
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 8, 2026

Facile and Efficient Preparation of Tri-component Fluorescent Glycopolymers via RAFT-controlled Polymerization
10:54

Facile and Efficient Preparation of Tri-component Fluorescent Glycopolymers via RAFT-controlled Polymerization

Published on: June 19, 2015

10.2K

Cyclization in random graph modeling of acrylate copolymerization.

Tamika van 't Hoff1, Teun Schilperoort1, Ivan V Kryven2

  • 1University of Amsterdam, Van't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, Amsterdam, 1098 XH, the Netherlands. p.d.iedema@uva.nl.

Soft Matter
|December 24, 2025
PubMed
Summary

Three-dimensional radical polymerization is complex due to gelation. New coarse-grained models using random graphs and Monte Carlo simulations offer insights into network formation and cycle impacts during polymerization.

More Related Videos

Synthesis of Monodisperse Cylindrical Nanoparticles via Crystallization-driven Self-assembly of Biodegradable Block Copolymers
11:42

Synthesis of Monodisperse Cylindrical Nanoparticles via Crystallization-driven Self-assembly of Biodegradable Block Copolymers

Published on: June 20, 2019

8.2K
Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level
06:55

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

Published on: September 26, 2016

8.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 8, 2026

Facile and Efficient Preparation of Tri-component Fluorescent Glycopolymers via RAFT-controlled Polymerization
10:54

Facile and Efficient Preparation of Tri-component Fluorescent Glycopolymers via RAFT-controlled Polymerization

Published on: June 19, 2015

10.2K
Synthesis of Monodisperse Cylindrical Nanoparticles via Crystallization-driven Self-assembly of Biodegradable Block Copolymers
11:42

Synthesis of Monodisperse Cylindrical Nanoparticles via Crystallization-driven Self-assembly of Biodegradable Block Copolymers

Published on: June 20, 2019

8.2K
Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level
06:55

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

Published on: September 26, 2016

8.3K

Area of Science:

  • Polymer Chemistry
  • Materials Science
  • Computational Modeling

Background:

  • Three-dimensional radical polymerization is crucial for material applications but poorly understood.
  • Gelation, a liquid-to-solid phase transition, causes kinetic slowdown and obscures polymerization mechanisms.
  • Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are limited by short time scales for studying gelation and network formation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and apply coarse-grained modeling techniques for understanding network formation in three-dimensional radical polymerization.
  • To investigate the impact of cycle formation on polymerization kinetics, particularly the gel point.
  • To compare coarse-grained model predictions with MD simulations for polymerization of acrylates like NBA, HDDA, and TMPTA.

Main Methods:

  • Coarse-grained modeling based on random graphs (RG) and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations.
  • Representing the polymer network by focusing on monomer unit connections rather than atomistic detail.
  • Modeling cycles as specific vertex types within the RG/MC framework to analyze their influence.

Main Results:

  • The RG/MC models demonstrate that cycles delay the gel point, with the delay dependent on cycle size.
  • Predicted cycle numbers and sizes align well with MD simulation results.
  • The models capture tree-like network structures with connected cycles in the gel regime but struggle with overlapping cycles.

Conclusions:

  • Coarse-grained RG/MC models provide a valuable tool for studying the kinetics and network structure of three-dimensional radical polymerization.
  • Cycle formation significantly influences the gelation process and network topology.
  • Further refinement of coarse-grained models is needed to capture complex structural features like overlapping cycles.