A Review of Group-Transfer Polymerization

Abstract Group-transfer polymerization is a very useful synthetic method for the preparation of acrylic ester polymers. This living polymerization process works well at room temperature and can be used to prepare a wide variety of complex polymer structures. Mechanistic work suggests that GTP is a form of anionic polymerization where propagation occurs via a small concentration of enolate anions which are in equilibrium with dormant silyl ketene acetal chain ends. GTP will find the most use in specialty applications including dispersants, toners, photoresists, and rheology control agents.