The biannual Nürnberg Congress, held in conjunction
with the European Coatings Show in May 2007, hit an all-time high in terms of
attendees, presentation quality, enthusiasm and a pervasive sense of R&D
excitement.
The tone was set by the Keynote presentation given by
Virgil Percec from the University of Pennsylvania and titled “Ultrafast
Synthesis of Ultrahigh Molar Mass Polymers by SET-LRP of Acrylates,
Methacrylates and Vinyl Halides at Room Temperature.” For those not familiar
with the technique, controlled or single electron transfer (SET) living radical
polymerization (LRP) provides tremendous control over the molecular structure
of large macromolecules and, therefore, provides the ability to design unique
and novel copolymer architecture. For instance, one could build a monodispersed
polymeric binder or additive with the molecular size and structure desired.
There are dispersing additives on the market that are like this. This approach
is not like the established atom transfer polymerization technique and has a
lot of people very excited as it could lead to a new generation of coatings
polymers.