RDRP (meth)acrylic Homo and Block Polymers from Lignocellulosic Sugar Derivatives

Currently, most commodity chemicals and polymers are manufactured from nonrenewable petroleum‐based resources. However, due to its finite nature and social claims about environment preservation, alternative sources of value‐added and building block chemicals are being intensively studied. Renewable lignocellulosic biomass has offered an attractive replacement for fossil‐based chemicals. Lignin and C5/C6 sugars obtained from lignocellulosic biomass through chemical and enzymatic methods can be further transformed to targeted chemical platforms. In the present review, synthetic pathways for well‐defined poly(meth)acrylates obtained from C5/C6 sugar‐derived platforms in which the sugar structure is not retained are discussed. While bio‐based polymers from these monomers are investigated using a wide range of polymerization techniques, this study focuses on precise synthesis of macromolecular structures taking advantage of reversible‐deactivation radical polymerization methods and their applications.