Controlled synthesis of polymers in the light of green chemistry

The discovery of reversible deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP), or controlled radical polymerization (CRP) has revolutionized the chemistry of synthetic polymers. This strategy opened up the way to polymer materials with controlled architecture, composition, and functions. Currently, owing to the use of novel approaches related to reversible chain deactivation, radical polymerization has gone beyond the polymer synthesis. It can be used to obtain not only macromolecular organic compounds, but also organic-inorganic hybrid materials, bioconjugates, promising polymers for electronics, energy production, medicine, and other high-tech fields. It is exceptionally important that some CRP methods have a clear-cut environmental component, since they are focused on compliance with the most important principles of green chemistry and the development of nature-like processes in the targeted synthesis of well-defined polymers with a specified set of properties and characteristics. This review considers particular examples and analyzes the possible prospects for the practical application of CRP methods and environmentally benign processes for the synthesis of high-tech functional polymers. A comparative analysis is performed for the classical methods of living radical polymerization of a wide range of monomers (reversible inhibition, reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer, and atom transfer radical polymerization involving transition metal complexes), the concept of organic photoredox catalysis, and green chemistry methodology as applied to the targeted synthesis of polymers with a specified set of properties and characteristics. The review gives analysis of the above CRP aspects, including the procedural details related to photoinitiation and organic photoredox catalysis, and their relationship with the key green chemistry principles. In our opinion, this will be of interest not only to specialists in the field of polymer chemistry, but also to a wide range of synthetic chemists and environmental scientists. <br> The bibliography includes 242 references.