Microwave assisted synthesis, crosslinking, and processing of polymeric materials

The purpose of this review is to provide useful details concerning the application of microwave irradiation to polymer chemistry. Research in this area has shown some potential advantages of microwaves in the ability not only to drive chemical processes but to perform them in reduced time scale. In some cases the afforded products exhibited properties that may not be possible using conventional thermal treatments. This chapter exposes and discusses the microwave-assisted polymer syntheses, crosslinking, and processing with the stress on chemistry of those processes. A short description of the nature of microwaves as well as their interactions with different matter, in particular with organic substances, is given to provide a brief review of those topics. Then the equipment necessary to carry out microwave experiments is described with links to commercially available systems. Eventually, the free-radical polymerization reaction of various unsaturated compounds is presented together with dental applications followed by step-growth polymerization reactions (i.e., polyamides, polyimides, polyesters, polyethers, epoxy resins, and polyurethanes), polymer modification, reaction on polymer matrices, and recycling.