CONTROLLED/LIVING PHOTOPOLYMERIZATION PROCESSES

Controlled radical polymerizations (CRPs) have revolutionized the science of polymers, enabling the synthesis of polymer materials with precisely defined average molecular weights and architecture. Obtaining polymers with specific properties, i.e. molecular weight and low polydispersity, is particularly important when examining, physicochemical and rheological properties of polymers in terms pf applications of these materials. CRP processes include a group of radical polymerization methods such as atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), stable free radical polymerization (SFRP) and reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. Currently, it is extremely important to strive to improve CRP methods by eliminating toxic reagents – e.g. metal complexes.

We develop new, high-performance organic metal-free photocatalysts (PCs) dedicated to photocontrolled/living photopolymerization processes. The research goal is to explore and investigate the relationship between photocatalyst/photoiniferter structure and the performance in the photoinitiaton process.

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