Coordinative Chain Transfer and Chain Shuttling Polymerization

Coordinative chain transfer polymerization, CCTP, is a unique polymerization process based on metal catalysts, that has a wide range of applications. It allows a highly controlled synthesis of polyolefins (the most important commodity plastics), stereoregular polydienes (elastomers and rubbers) or stereoregular polystyrenes (high-performance materials). This polymerization mechanism also shows a green character, as one molecule of metal catalyst produces many polymer chains due to the addition of an appropriate chain transfer agent (catalyst economy). A single-step synthesis of the original multiblock microstructures and architectures by chain shuttling polymerization (CSP) is also an asset of CCTP. The CSP methodology takes advantage of the simultaneous presence of two metal catalysts with different performance and chain shuttling agent that ensures the shuttling between both catalysts. The result is the production of highly performant functional polymers, such as thermoplastic elastomers and adhesives.

Mundil R, Bravo C, Merle N, Zinck P. Coordinative Chain Transfer and Chain Shuttling Polymerization. Chem Rev. 2024 Jan 10;124(1):210-244. doi: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00440. Epub 2023 Dec 12. PMID: 38085864.