In this section
WEP’s proprietary Living Radical Polymerisation (LRP) technology allows the controlled production of polymers, block copolymers and graft polymers with defined structure and enables the incorporation of specific mixtures of components with different properties and functionality. This can be achieved by changing the monomer being incorporated during polymer synthesis so that copolymers with more than one property are present in the same polymer eg di-block and tri-block copolymers. Other compositions can also be synthesised, such as gradient and star copolymers.
The ability to build polymers with more than one functionality or property within the same molecule offers endless possibilities. For example, a diverse range of amphiphilic block copolymers can be produced using hydrophilic and hydrophobic blocks. Additional functionality can also be incorporated on the alpha terminus of the polymer by polymerising from functional initiators or fluorescent dyes. Overall, the types of functionalities that can be incorporated into polymers produced using LRP range from dyes, pigments and fluorescent labels to adhesive and other reactive groups.
Examples of the types of monomer that can be built into a polymer using LRP to provide combinations of different functionalities
