Copolymers

Abstract

This article provides an overview of the preparation, properties, use, and characterization of synthetic copolymers. The range of different copolymer structures that can be synthesized using current methods is detailed and the current IUPAC‐recommended nomenclature for naming these structures is explained. Techniques for the production of copolymers are discussed, with an emphasis on the types of copolymers and copolymer structures attainable through each polymerization technique. Industrially important random, alternating, block, graft, star, and hyperbranched copolymers are described in terms of the processes used to produce them and the properties achieved. Their main uses and major producers are also detailed.