Initiating radical polymerization at room temperature: Why and How?
Abstract
The energy consumption of high-temperature radical polymerizations affects the environment and human health. This review summarizes methods for initiating radical polymerization at room temperature (20-40 °C), including thermal initiation, redox initiation, interface initiation, enzymic initiation, photo initiation, and metal-mediated initiation. The energy demands for the polymerizations initiated at different temperatures were estimated. In addition to being eco-friendly, room-temperature polymerization also showed advantages in reaction safety, polymer structural control, and bio-related applications. Conducting polymerization at room temperature can be beneficial for green materials and sustainable industrial applications.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Advanced Polymer Synthesis and Characterization
Polymer crystallization and properties
Polymer Foaming and Composites
Publication details
- Journal / source
- RSC Advances
- Publisher
- Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 29
- Pages
- 26988–27007
- Publication date
- 1 January 2026
- Language
- EN