The use of catalysts as a means of facilitating and expediting polymer synthesis has become an essential industrial tool over the past forty years. This book provides a comprehensive survey of the entire field of catalysis in polymer synthesis covering the majority of essential aspects from basic organic, organometallic and bio-chemistry to industrial production. Particular emphasis is placed on 'precision polymerization', where the catalyst plays a key role in the fabrication of innovative polymers. Precision polymerization enables the production of polymers with precisely controlled structures, molecular weight, distribution and stereochemistry, free from defects. New catalysis is now used in addition polymerization, polycondensation and polyadditions for various monomers of vinyl, diene, acetylene, hetero-multiple bond, ring-opening and enzyme-substrate types. By utilising precision polymerization, highly functional and high performance polymers for future demands will be created. Intended as a polymer synthesis text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses, this book will also serve as a valuable reference source for polymer chemists researching catalytic functions with reaction mechanisms in academia and industry, stimulating the discovery of new catalysts and consequently, the design of innovative high performance materials.
