Polymer growth through radical polymerization and termination.

We propose a polymer growth model, in which propagating radicals can grow through propagation processes or annihilate through termination (disproportionation or combination) processes. Considering a simple case in which the propagation and termination rates of each polymer chain are both independent of its length, we then investigate analytically the kinetics of the model by means of the rate-equation approach. The propagating radicals will be exhausted eventually and only the inert polymers (the termination products of propagating radicals) can survive in the end.