Maleimides As a Building Block for the Synthesis of High Performance Polymers

ABSTRACT

Maleimides are gaining a great deal of attention in both scientific and industrial communities since they can be used in high performance macromolecular systems: thermosets with high temperature stability, self-healing systems, or in click chemistry reactions. After an introduction, this review reports in the first part the different routes to synthesize maleimides. In the second part, this review focuses on the use of maleimides in polymer synthesis, first through nucleophilic reactions, second via cycloaddition to yield remendable systems, and then via radical polymerization. Finally, the industrial availability of maleimides is discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Maleimide
• polymer
• Michael addition
• anionic polymerization
• radical polymerization
• Diels-Alder cycloaddition

Funding

The authors would like to thank BOSTIK and HUTCHINSON Companies for their financial support.