Microwave-assisted controlled radical polymerization

Abstract

Use of microwave energy to heat and drive chemical reactions has been an increasingly popular theme in the scientific community. Historically, since the 1950s microwave energy has become an essential part of many technical applications in chemical and related industries, particularly in organic chemistry. However, microwave heating was not introduced to polymer chemistry until the mid-1980s. Regardless of the exact nature of the still-debated microwave effects, microwave synthesis has now truly matured and has moved from a laboratory curiosity to an established technique in both academia and industry. Among the polymerization techniques, controlled radical polymerizations (CRPs) are known to produce high-value products with controlled architecture and low dispersity. Original physicochemical properties and promising applications are reachable. This chapter provides, in a concise form, a current picture of three types of microwave-assisted controlled radical polymerization (RAFT, NMP, ATRP) with regard to the irradiation mode and the activation energy values.