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Merck

Polymerization Tools

Example of polymer molecular structure

A polymer is a material consisting of a large number of repeating subunits, referred to as monomers. Polymerization is a chemical reaction of monomers to form polymer chains or networks. The advancement in polymerization technologies has propelled the development of polymers with increasingly complex structures and properties, enabling novel research in the biomedical, energy, and electronic fields. Polymer properties and performances are highly dependent on monomer types and the polymerization tools or methods used for the synthesis.  

We provide a diverse selection of polymerization tools to meet your different research needs: 

  • Monomers
  • Reagents for controlled radical polymerization
  • Catalysts for polymerization
  • Chain transfer agents
  • Crosslinking agents
  • Surfactants
 

Our comprehensive monomer portfolio enables the synthesis of a variety of polymers with different structures, compositions and properties. Our offering is organized by their functional groups, and major monomer categories include acrylics, alcohols, epoxide and amines.



Controlled Radical Polymerization

Controlled radical polymerization (CRP), enables better control over the polymer molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, functionality, and composition. CRP is suitable for developing well-defined polymers with desired properties. CRP can be utilized with a wide range of vinyl monomers to build polymers with diverse properties for different applications.

There are three fundamental CRP techniques:

  • Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP)
  • Reversible addition/fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization
  • Nitroxide-mediated polymerization (NMP)

We offer a comprehensive portfolio of vinyl and norbornene monomers, RAFT agents, ATRP agents and NMP initiators for different types of controlled radical polymerizations. Technical reviews and supporting information for each method can be found in our Controlled Radical Polymerization Guide.




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