IMPROVED PROCESSES BASED ON ATOM (OR GROUP) TRANSFER RADICAL POLYMERIZATION AND NOVEL (CO) POLYMERS HAVING USEFUL STRUCTURES AND PROPERTIES

摘要

Improved processes have been developed for atom (or group) transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). In one improvement, the ATRP process involves polymerizing in the presence of a (partially) free radical-deactivating amount of the corresponding reduced or oxidized transition metal compound. In a further improvement, the ATRP process involves polymerizing in a homogeneous system or in the presence of a solubilized initiating/catalytic system. The present invention also concerns end-functional, site-specific functional and telechelic homopolymers and copolymers; block, random, graft, alternating and tapered (or "gradient") copolymers which may have certain properties or a certain novel structure; star, comb and "hyperbranched" polymers and copolymers; multi-functional hyperbranched, end-functional polymers; cross-linked polymers and gels; water-soluble polymers and hydrogels (e.g., a copolymer prepared by radical copolymerization of a water-soluble monomer and a divinyl monomer); and an ATRP process using water as a medium.