Surface-initiated Polymerization on Inorganic Substrates and Its Use to the Fabrication of End-grafted Polymer Films

Surface-initiated polymerization on the surface of inorganic substances has been considered as a new research field in polymer synthetic chemistry. Self-assembling techniques on the molecular level make nearly all kinds of polymerization to be carried out on the surface of inorganic substances possible. The surface-initiated polymerization and its use for the formation of end-grafted polymer films were reviewed. The authors' own opinions with respect to the future development of this research field were proposed.