Biomolecule-polymer conjugates are widely used in bio-related fields, but their synthesis is often tricky, especially the introduction of a single biomolecule at one chain end. This paper describes a new straightforward approach to prepare such conjugates via RAFT polymerization. By designing appropriate bio-related RAFT agents, polymer chains of controlled chain length (Mn = 10 000-40 000 and PDI < 1.1) carrying a single biomolecule as an alpha-end group (a sugar or a biotin) linked by a stable amide bond are obtained. Considering the versatility of the RAFT process, this strategy appears to be very attractive for the design of a variety of conjugates.

A means to an end: Polyethylene chains obtained by catalyzed chain growth on magnesium and exhibiting molar masses up to 5000 g mol−1 have been end‐functionalized in high yield with iodide, azide, and amine reactive end groups (see scheme). The functionalized polyethylenes can be used to generate a range of reactive polyolefins; for example, the azide‐functionalized chain can undergo “click” reactions to afford macromonomers.

Ethylene polymerization catalyzed by nickel(II) keto-ylide complexes has been performed in water to yield a latex of linear PE. Colloidal stability is highly enhanced by the use of a miniemulsion technique to disperse the catalyst prior contact with the monomer. Latex of typically 200 nm particle diameters and up to 10% solids are generated by this method. The influence of several factors (temperature, pressure, solids) onto the polymerization is studied in detail. The surfactant adsorption isotherms onto these highly crystalline and nonpolar particles are also presented.

A series of highly active nickel-based neutral catalysts for ethylene polymerization is presented. These catalysts are obtained by direct complexation of simple fluorinated ketoylides onto bis(1,5-cyclooctadiene)nickel. Catalyst formation readily occurs in the presence of an olefin, but due to the electron deficiency of the ligand, it hardly happens in the absence of an olefin or another Lewis base. Activities greater than 2 × 106 (gPE/gNi)/h and productivities higher than 15 × 106 gPE/molNi are typically observed. These catalysts are also active for the polymerization of α-olefins such as 1-hexene and 1-propene. Polymer characterization indicates that highly linear, low molecular weight PEHD is formed by these complexes.

A new route to poly(ethylene‐alt‐butadiene) uses a homogeneous neodymocene/dialkylmagnesium catalyst which exhibits high activity and allows the polymerization to be easily controlled, both in terms of molecular weight and microstructure of the product. The s‐trans‐η4‐butadiene complex shown in the picture is thought to be an essential intermediate of this reaction.

A Lewis acid surfactant combined catalyst (LASC) was tentatively used in a cationic polymerization in miniemulsion of p-methoxystyrene (pMOS). In a first part, the initiating potential of trisdodecyl sulfate ytterbium (Yb(DS)3, 0.25H2O) was evidenced in the solution polymerization of pMOS initiated by the corresponding chlorinated adduct pMOS-HCl. Miniemulsion polymerizations of pMOS performed using the same initiating system gave rise to oligomers, but experimental conditions chosen could not evidence the expected LASC-mediated cationic polymerization process. Further studies showed that LASC is located at the interface and acts only as a surfactant together with SDS. The polymerization occurred due to the hydrolysis of pMOS-HCl. The resulting acidification of the water phase leads to the transformation of SDS into its sulfuric acid form acting as an inisurf according to an interfacial cationic polymerization process. Latex particles of pMOS incorporating narrowly distributed low molar mass chains were obtained.

A computational fluid dynamics software package was used to study heat transfer from spherical particles of different sizes and under different heat-transfer conditions. It was shown that although the Ranz-Marshall and other similar correlations are ®alid in the case where particles do not interact, this is not true for densely packed systems such as those that we find in reactors commonly used in olefin polymerization. It was also demonstrated that con®ection is in fact not the only means of remo®ing heat from small, highly acti®e particles. Conducti®e heat transfer between large and small particles present in the same reactor appears to help alle®iate problems of o®erheating and explain why earlier models of heat transfer in olefin polymerization o®erpredict the temperature rise during early stages of polymerization.

Ethylene and butadiene are copolymerized with neodymocene catalysts. In this paper, a complete 1H and 13C NMR analysis of ethylene/butadiene copolymers is reported for the first time. The results of this study show that the microstructure of copolymers depends on the cyclopentadienyl ligands of the catalyst. The presence of the trans-1,2-cyclohexane structure, formed by intramolecular cyclization, is detected and fully investigated by 2D NMR 1H/13C direct and long-range correlation.