The synthesis of modified polyethylene via coordination polymerization followed by ATRP, RAFT, NMRP or ROP

Research on the synthesis of modified polyethylene (PE) is of great significance to both academic study and industrial applications. The synthesis of modified polyethylene has experienced remarkable and significant progress in the control over the microstructure, composition, molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of the polymeric products. This review summarizes the achievements in the synthesis of modified polyethylene via combining coordination polymerization with atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, nitroxide-mediated radical polymerization (NMRP) or ring-opening polymerization (ROP) for the last decade. In addition, the mechanisms of the aforementioned polymerization techniques are expounded in this contribution. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.