Radical Coupling of Polymers Formed by Cobalt-Mediated Radical Polymerization

Considerable progress has been recently made in cobalt-mediated radical polymerization (CMRP), a controlled radical polymerization system based on the temporary deactivation of the polymer chains by a cobalt complex, like the improvement of the mechanistic understanding, the extension to a range of monomers and the preparation of novel architectures. However, the real breakthrough in this field concerns the development of efficient radical coupling methods for polymer precursors preformed by CMRP. This book chapter aims to describe the general principle and main characteristics of such radical coupling techniques involving dienes, nitrones, fullerenes or carbon nanotubes. Well-defined and complex architectures obtained by these techniques are provided in order to illustrate their potential for macromolecular engineering.