ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights fundamentals of polymerization as they apply to control of polymerization reactors. It provides a starting point for the discussion of polymerization reactions and their control. Addition polymerization takes place via the opening of a double bond on the monomer unit. The major aspects in which addition polymerization differs from step-growth polymerization are that the linkages are made by the opening of carbon-carbon double bonds and that the time necessary to form a complete molecule of high molecular weight is of the order of seconds. The relationship between structure and properties is critical to the control of polymerization processes since control of the processes will be aimed at manipulating the structure of the polymer in order to develop a polymer with the correct end-use properties. Anionic polymerization takes place via the opening of a carbon double bond on the monomer unit. Cationic polymerization is another mechanism of addition polymerization.
