Living Radical Polymerization 2. Polymerization Mechanism and Methods 2

Abstract

Living radical polymerization (LRP) has been regarded as a fundamental technology for the creation of structurally well controlled polymeric materials with increased and/or new properties. This second article describes three methods of LRP, namely reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization (RAFT), organotellurium-, stibine-, and bismuthine-mediated LRP (TERP, SBRP, BIRP), and cobalt-mediated LRP (CMRP) focusing on their methods and mechanisms. Although degenerative chain transfer mechanism plays a key role in all these three LRP methods, the differences in chemical structure of dormant species and detail chain transfer mechanisms characterize synthetic scope and limitation of each method.