4. Radical copolymerization

4.1 Macromolecule construction

In industrial practice, several monomers are often used to adjust certain properties, such as glass transition temperature. Some formulations, in the coatings or cosmetics industries for example, use more than five different monomers. The principle of radical polymerization outlined above is still valid, but the analysis is more complicated. The greater the number of monomers involved, the greater the number of growing macroradicals to be considered. Furthermore, monomers and radicals generally have different reactivities, leading to macromolecules whose composition is often different from that of the reaction medium.

As far as initiation is concerned, the reactivity of the primary radicals resulting from the decomposition of...