Introduction of functional groups on polymers

摘要

Introduction of functional groups onto a polymer is achieved in an aqueous medium and comprises reaction of an active agent (e.g. oxygen gas) with a chemical species (e.g. an azo free radical generator) to produce free radicals which lead to formation of the required functional groups. Functionally activated polymeric materials may be further processed via grafting of additional materials onto the activated surface. The procedure has many applications such as in the field of medical devices wherein biocompatibility of polymeric materials is substantially improved.