This invention is related to a polymerization method
wherein an atom transfer radical polymerization of a vinyl monomer is carried out under at least one condition selected from the group consisting of the following (1), (2), (3) and (4):
(1) in a substantially anhydrous system;
(2) in the presence of a nitrile compound;
(3) addition, to the system, of a ligand to the polymerization catalyst to thereby initiate the polymerization;
(4) varying a polymerization catalyst activity during polymerization to thereby control the rate of polymerization.
This invention provides a method which allows the terminal halogen atom to remain at a high rate in atom transfer radical polymerization, solve such problems as the difficulty in polymerization rate control as caused by catalyst precipitation and wide variation in catalyst amount, provide a simple and safe method of polymerization initiation as well as a method of controlling the rate of polymerization, and indicate a method of improving the polymerization procedure.
The invention relates to an image support medium for creation of an aesthetic image that is an work or object for display. This support medium includes a polymer in an amount sufficient to enable the image to have at least one aesthetic element. In different embodiments, the image support medium is an image support stabilizer, the polymer is a synthetic absorbent or conductive polymer, or the polymer is a transparent or synthetic translucent polymer and a property of this transparent or translucent polymer is enhanced to facilitate the creation or preservation of the image by at least one stabilizer. The invention also relates to a method for preparing this image support medium. The method includes forming a reaction mixture comprising a monomer in an amount sufficient to provide or enable the image to have an aesthetic element, and processing the reaction mixture into a 2- or 3-dimensional shape.