Chemistry · L5 · Controlled and Living Polymerization

Why conventional free-radical polymerization gives a broad molecular-weight distribution, how living polymerization and the controlled-radical techniques ATRP and RAFT tame that randomness, how Ring-Opening Polymerization (ROP) builds biodegradable polymers from cyclic monomers, and why living chain ends enable precise MW targeting and block copolymer synthesis.