polymer chemistry Polymer chemistry is a sub-discipline of chemistry that focuses on the structures, chemical synthesis, and chemical and physical properties of polymers and macromolecules. The principles and methods used within polymer chemistry are also applic ...

, a macromonomer (or macromer) is a

macromolecule A macromolecule is a "molecule of high relative molecular mass, the structure of which essentially comprises the multiple repetition of units derived, actually or conceptually, from molecules of low relative molecular mass." Polymers are physi ...

with one

end-group End groups are an important aspect of polymer synthesis and characterization. In polymer chemistry, they are Functional group, functional groups that are at the very ends of a macromolecule or oligomer (IUPAC). In polymer synthesis, like condens ...

that enables it to act as a reactive

monomer A monomer ( ; ''mono-'', "one" + '' -mer'', "part") is a molecule that can react together with other monomer molecules to form a larger polymer chain or two- or three-dimensional network in a process called polymerization. Classification Chemis ...

and undergo further

polymerization In polymer chemistry, polymerization (American English), or polymerisation (British English), is a process of reacting monomer molecules together in a chemical reaction to form polymer chains or three-dimensional networks. There are many fo ...

. Macromonomers will contribute a single repeat unit to a chain of the completed macromolecule. Several macromonomers have been successfully synthesized utilizing various methods such as controlled radical polymerization (CRP) and copper-catalyzed "click" coupling. Due to the larger size of macromonomers (as opposed to the size of regular

s), synthetic challenges are brought about, giving reason for the analysis of polymerization mechanisms. Recent studies have shown that macromonomer polymerization kinetics and mechanisms can be significantly affected by the topological effect. Macromonomers are also used in controlled graft copolymerization.

References

{{reflist Polymer chemistry