Living Carbocationic Polymerization of Resonance-stabilized Monomers

Living polymerization has been at the forefront of polymer science and engineering in recent years. The term “living” is used to distinquish polymerizations in which chain breaking processes such as termination and transfer reactions are absent. Living polymerization provides for the control over the molecular weight (MW) and molecular weight distribution (MWD) of the polymer sample. This paper will give a general overview about living carbocationic polymerization, followed by a review of recent developments with emphasis on resonance-stabilized monomers and the use of the living concept for the design and synthesis of new polymeric structures