Initiation of Polymers from Surfaces

One of the main advantages of external initiation of a polymerization is the ability to attach different functional groups on the initiator unit that can add an additional functionality to the polymer chain and interact with the external environment without disrupting the solid-state packing or the properties of the polymer. 

Sontag et al. explored the growth of polythiophene on gold surfaces by functionalizing the surface with a 6-(5-bromothiophen-2-yl)hexane-l-thiol 

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