Abstract
This short, introductory review covers the still rapidly growing and industrially important field of ring opening polymerization (ROP). The review is organized according to mechanism (radical ROP (RROP), cationic ROP (CROP), anionic ROP (AROP) and ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP)) rather than monomer classes. Nevertheless, the different groups of cyclic monomers are considered (olefins, ethers, thioethers, amines, lactones, thiolactones, lactams, disulfides, anhydrides, carbonates, silicones, phosphazenes and phosphonites) and the mechanisms by which they can be polymerized involving a ring-opening polymerization. Literature up to 2012 has been considered but the citations selected refer to detailed reviews and key papers, describing not only the latest developments but also the evolution of the current state of the art.
Highlights
Ring-opening polymerization (ROP) is, together with chain polymerization and condensation polymerization, one of the three paths to the polymers that are so important to life in the Polymers 2013, 5
From even more detailed studies it was found that ring-expansion is favored at low monomer concentrations and the open chain mechanism dominates the propagation at higher monomer concentration [45]
The good control of polymer structures possible via Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization (ROMP) has led to many studies concerning the synthesis of polymers with well-defined end groups which have been reviewed in detail recently [146]
Summary
Ring-opening polymerization (ROP) is, together with chain (radical and ionic) polymerization and condensation polymerization, one of the three paths to the polymers that are so important to life in the Polymers 2013, 5. The interested reader is referred to the excellent recent summary by Duda and Kowalski [1]. With some exceptions, such as the ROP of Leuchs’ anhydrides (see Section 4.2) or the radical ROP of 2,2-diphenyl-4-methylene-1,3-dioxolane (see Section 2.2), is not accompanied by the elimination of small molecules. Polyglycolides and polylactides (see Section 4.1) [4] are becoming important as packaging materials due to the bio-compatibility and natural decomposition of these materials Another important development is the use of metathesis catalysts to open rings with exo functional groups to yield novel polymer structures (Section 5). It is recommended that the interested reader refer to, e.g., the chapters of [5]
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