Microwave-Assisted Polymer Synthesis

Summary: Monomodal microwaves have overcome the
safety uncertainties associated with the precedent domestic
microwave ovens. After fast acceptance in inorganic and
organic syntheses, polymer chemists have also recently
discovered this new kind of microwave reactor. An almost
exponential increase of the number of publications in this
field reflects the steadily growing interest in the use of
microwave irradiation for polymerizations. This reviewintroduces
the microwave systems and their applications in polymer
syntheses, covering step-growth and ring-opening, as
well as radical polymerization processes, in order to summarize
the hitherto realized polymerizations. Special attention
is paid to the differences between microwave-assisted
and conventional heating as well as the ‘‘microwave effects’’.