Controlled Radical Polymerization: Industrial Stakes, Obstacles and Achievements

The extraordinary scientific development of controlled radical polymerization (CRP) contrasts with the very limited number of commercially available products derived from these technologies. The present comprehensive survey takes up existing public knowledge on industrial features of CRP and gives a critical point of view on its global status, and on each CRP technique in particular. The main techniques, namely RAFT/MADIX, NMP, ATRP, OCRP, OHRP and (R)ITP, are introduced. The focus is put on their current status in industry, based on selected patent literature, conference proceedings, professional press releases and technical data sheets of commercial products. This includes the industrial availability of CRP agents, the types of polymers that have been already commercialized or that are at an advanced stage of development, and the related applications and markets. The strengths and weaknesses are given for the different CRP techniques, and ways of improvements are suggested. As is often the case for strong technological breakthroughs, the CRP processes face a multitude of hurdles (at different degrees depending on the type of CRP), that must be overcome and which greatly increase the time-to-market for polymer products compared to mature technologies. In spite of its slow development, CRP is seen as a revolutionary method to produce precisely controlled, next generation specialty polymer additives and materials.