Advanced Star Polymers: From Synthetic Developments to Biomedical Applications

Abstract

The developments in polymer synthesis and their applications over the last 100 years have had a profound effect on the world as we know it. While polymers abound in our everyday lives, significant advances continue to be made in the field of polymer chemistry. The first reversible deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) method was discovered in the 1980s, enabling the synthesis of polymers with tailored molecular weights and advanced architectures. Reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization is one type of RDRP that has shown exceptional promise for the synthesis of advanced materials, with recent developments in photo-mediated RAFT polymerization leading to unp..