Chain-growth polymerization

<p>Chain-growth polymerization  or chain-growth polymerisation (<a href="/facts/British_English/ymJR5Rnd">BE</a>) is a <a href="/facts/Polymerization/1hmBz7Ur">polymerization</a> technique where  <a href="/facts/Monomer/Gw3CltMb">monomer</a> molecules add onto the active site on a growing <a href="/facts/Polymer/eF32E50K">polymer</a> chain one at a time. There are a limited number of these active sites at any moment during the polymerization which gives this method its key characteristics.
</p><p>Chain-growth polymerization involves 3 types of reactions :
</p>
<ol><li>Initiation: An active species I* is formed by some decomposition of an initiator molecule I</li>
<li>Propagation: The initiator fragment reacts with a monomer M to begin the conversion to the polymer; the center of activity is retained in the adduct. Monomers continue to add in the same way until polymers Pi* are formed with the degree of polymerization i</li>
<li>Termination: By some reaction generally involving two polymers containing active centers, the growth center is deactivated, resulting in dead polymer</li></ol>

Chain-growth polymerization open-in-new

Chain-growth polymerization