POLYMERIZATION REACTIONS AT HIGH-PRESSURE AND SUPERCRITICAL CONDITIONS

In recent years, considerable interest has developed in the use of supercritical fluids (SCFs) for processing of synthetic and naturally-occurring polymers. The use of SCFs as polymerization media, however, has remained a relatively unexplored area. A review of the literature indicates that supercritical polymerization reactions have been conducted on an industrial scale for almost 60 years. While the advantages of performing polymerization reactions at high pressure are well known, the benefits of synthesizing polymers in the supercritical region have been largely overlooked. This manuscript reviews the various polymerization reactions which have been performed in the supercritical region and the advantages SCFs afford over conventional reaction media. Areas which might warrant further investigation will also be discussed.