Abstract: | The fundamentals of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) are presented. This includes the mechanistic considerations including structure of active and dormant species and structural features of the catalyst and reaction conditions as well as the nature of initiation and propagation steps. Extension of homogeneous polymerization to heterogeneous systems including emulsion polymerization is presented. Synthesis of (co)polymers with predefined molecular weights and low polydispersites as well as with controlled compositions, functionalities and architectures is reviewed. |