Abstract
Problems concerning the synthesis and reactions of macromolecular monomers (macromonomers) – polymeric molecules containing at least one polymerisable, usually unsaturated, end group or a fragment capable of polycondensation reactions – are considered. They are usually obtained by a radical or ionic polymerisation method in which the use of special chain initiating or terminating agents as well as intense chain transfer ensures the introduction of the reactive group. Studies on the polymerisation and copolymerisation of macromonomers are surveyed and the characteristic features of these processes, determined by the low concentration of the reacting group and the presence of a polymeric substituent, are analysed. The applications of macromonomers in polymer engineering, mainly in the synthesis of cone, star, graft, and other hybrid polymers, are examined.
The bibliography includes 119 references.