Theoretical considerations on the directionality in polymerization mechanism and polymer type
Peter Louis Weegels · Macromolecular Theory and Simulations · 1996
Abstract The directionality (Dn) of a polymerization mechanism can be defined as the average orientation of the reaction or the degree of randomness of head‐to‐tail, head‐to‐head, tail‐to‐tail or tail‐to‐head reactions within the polymer at the n‐th monomer or reaction (n ≫ 2). Directionality of a polymer type can be defined as the average orientation inside a polymer. If the directionality is random, Dn = 0.5. For full directionality, Dn = 1. It is demonstrated that these situations correspond to step and chain polymerization, respectively. Directionality can be as important for the functional properties of polymers as length and composition distributions and the functionality of the original monomers.