Monomer Polymer, a US company that specialises in manufacturing speciality monomers and sophisticated polymers, has agreed to market the technology worldwide.
Discovered by the CSIRO in 1998, RAFT is a controlled radical polymerisation method that can be used to created complex molecules for use in a range of products.
It is already generating major improvements in the areas of coatings and paints, electroactive materials, fuel additives, biomaterials, polymer synthesis, personal care, drug-delivery agents and car components.
Monomer Polymer’s chief executive, Stephen Bell, said that the licensing agreement would enable the company to strengthen its position in the synthesis, development and scale-up of speciality monomers and resulting polymer systems.
A unique aspect of Monomer-Polymer’s chemistries is the internal expertise with organosilanes. The use of the RAFT technology should allow it to create polymers with organosilicon functionalities.
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