Mechanism and Application of Surface-Initiated, Zn0-Mediated ATRP

Surface-initiated Zn0-mediated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-Zn0-ATRP) enables the rapid synthesis of chemically diverse polymer brushes from both planar inorganic supports, and fabrics made of natural fibers. This process enables the controlled formation of polymer-brush layers on a variety of substrates, without the need for either inert conditions or lengthy deoxygenation procedures of the reaction mixtures.