Preface

Among the various reversible-deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) techniques, nitroxide mediated polymerization (NMP) was the first to be developed in the mid-1980s. This book traces the major developments of NMP from its discovery to date. Through intense research efforts made in the field of NMP, significant progresses have been made in recent years, including the understanding of the main parameters influencing the control quality of a NMP process, the synthesis of highly potent nitroxides and corresponding alkoxyamines and the preparation of polymer and/or hybrid materials with advanced properties. NMP stands out from other techniques in its simplicity because it requires only a thermal or photochemical trigger without adding an external radical source or metal catalyst. This book collates the contributions of renowned experts in the NMP process in order to provide a comprehensive and general overview of this technique.

The book commences with the history of NMP (Chapter 1) followed by a detailed description of the kinetics (Chapter 2) associated with this technique. Chapter 3 is dedicated to the synthesis of nitroxides and alkoxyamines while Chapters 4, 5 and 7 are focused on the NMP process in homogenous, dispersed media and the controlled polymerization of methyl methacrylate, respectively. The latest developments in NMP are given in Chapter 6. Chapter 8 offers a picture of the various complex macromolecular architectures achievable by NMP. Chapter 9 highlights the most relevant results in the field of bioconjugates and biomaterials prepared by NMP. Chapter 10 demonstrates the high potential of NMP for surface functionalization, while Chapter 11 is dedicated to the synthesis of different materials for a variety of emerging and next generation applications.

This book will be of major interest to industry and academic researchers as a reference guide for using the nitroxide mediated polymerization technique. It also aims at being a valuable document for graduate students in the broad field of polymer chemistry.