Combinatorial and high-throughput approaches in polymer science

A review. Progress in polymer research by using an automated parallel synthesizer, microwave synthesizer, and ink-jet printer is discussed. The equipment and methodologies in the expts., the high-throughput experimentation of different polymns. (such as atom transfer radical polymn., cationic ring-opening polymn., and emulsion polymn.) and the automated matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectroscopy (MALDI-TOF MS) sample prepn. are described.