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Synthesis
Chemistry In Pictures
Chemistry in Pictures: Color control
by Craig Bettenhausen
May 15, 2025
Credit: Submitted by Martin Orságh
This red light isn’t for romantic ambience. Charles University researcher Martin Orságh says the color lets him control a reaction called radical RAFT (reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer) polymerization. Orságh and collaborators are developing a system of photocatalysts and monomers that lets them switch between radical and cationic mechanisms just by changing the color of the light. RAFT reactions already allow for good control over polymer chain lengths, and the mechanism swap should let the team build polymers with precisely alternating structures. “This kind of light-driven control over polymerization unlocks new possibilities for advanced materials, including smart coatings, drug delivery systems, and thermoplastic elastomers,” says Orságh.
Submitted by Martin Orságh.
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Chemical & Engineering News
ISSN 0009-2347
Copyright © 2025 American Chemical Society
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