From Atoms to Macromolecules: 100 Years of Polymer Research

ANDRÉS E. CIOLINO; AUGUSTO G.O. DE FREITAS; ANGEL J. SATTI; MARIO D. NINAGO

Advances in Organic Synthesis

Bentham Science Publisher

Año: 2022; p. 212 - 270

In March 1920, Professor Hermann Staudinger coined the term?macromolecules? to explain the physicochemical behavior of different synthetic andnatural polymers. Far from the skepticism of the scientific community, otherresearchers, such as Wallace Carothers, were able to explain not only the synthesis butalso the chemical nature of synthetic polymers by considering Staudinger´s ideas. TheNobel Prize awarded to Staudinger in 1953 is one of the milestones of a new era inwhich polymers and polymer science would certainly change the world. In this review,the historical evolution of polymer chemistry and that of different synthetic methods toproduce polymers with well-defined molecular architectures are discussed. Differentsynthetic methods are reviewed, from classical (ionic, condensation, and coordination)to recent ones (reversible activation/deactivation using nitroxides, transfer agents ormetal complexes, conducting polymers, and meta thesis polymerization). This review isexpected to be of interest not only to those involved in polymer science but also toothers interested in the development of synthetic chemistry.