Polyaddition/polycondensation

Dendrimers (Newkome et al., 1996) and hyperbranched polymers, HBP, look like functional microgels in their compactness but they differ in two aspects they do not contain cyclic structures and, more importantly, they are much smaller, in the range of a few nanometers in size. They are prepared stepwise in successive generations (dendrimers) or they are obtained by the polyaddition/polycondensation of ABf monomers, where only the A + B reaction is possible (HBP Voit, 2000). Both molecules have tree-like structures, but a large distribution of molar masses exists in the case of HBP. 

Polyisocyanates are very reactive compounds and produce various polymers such as fibers, resins, elastomers, foams, coatings and adhesives by the reaction of polyaddition, polycondensation or stepwise polymerization. 

Polymer Chemical compound consisting of monomers or prepolymers developed by polyaddition, polycondensation or polymerization, usually in solid state. In cured condition, adhesives generally consist of polymers. 

Miniemulsion is a special class of emulsion that is stabilized against coalescence by a surfactant and Ostwald ripening by an osmotic pressure agent, or costabilizer. Compared with conventional emulsion polymerization process, the miniemulsion polymerization process allows all types of monomers to be used in the formation of nanoparticles or nanocapsules, including those not miscible with the continuous phase. Each miniemulsion droplet can indeed be treated as a nanoreactor, and the colloidal stability of the miniemulsion ensures a perfect copy from the droplets to the final product. The versatility of polymerization process makes it possible to prepare nanocapsules with various types of core materials, such as hydrophilic or hydrophobic, liquid or solid, organic or inorganic materials. Different techniques can be used to initiate the capsule wall formation, such as radical, ionic polymerization, polyaddition, polycondensation, or phase separation from preformed polymers. 

The aim of this chapter is to describe the possibilities offered by the miniemulsion process for performing chain polymerization, polyaddition, polycondensation, and modifications of polymers, and to outline the current trends in this field of research. Whilst the different polymerization types performed in miniemulsion are discussed in detail, descriptions of so-called secondary or artificial miniemulsions (i.e., miniemulsions with a preformed polymer) will not be included at this point... 

It is clearly a truism that for reducing the fire risk in the applications of plastics, their flammability should be diminished. This is achieved either by reactive flame-retardants incorporated during the preparation (polymerization, polyaddition, polycondensation) of the polymer or by additive flame-retardants admixed in the course of plastics processing. The flammability of plastics is sometimes reduced by surface protection. The most recent methods of reducing flammability are the modification of the macromolecular structure and the development of thermally resistant polymers (high-temperature plastics). 

Taking into account the chemical formation mechanism, networks can be obtained by polyaddition, polycondensation, or by crosslinking (co)polymerization of polyunsaturated monomers or of existing primary chains. When written without the parentheses, this term refers exclusively to copolymerization (Dusek 1993). 

---