The development of advanced materials based on well‐defined polymeric architectures is proving to be a highly prosperous research direction across both industry and academia. Controlled radical polymerization techniques are receiving unprecedented attention, with reversible‐deactivation chain growth procedures now routinely leveraged to prepare exquisitely precise polymer products. Reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization is a powerful protocol within this domain, where the unique chemistry of thiocarbonylthio (TCT) compounds can be harnessed to control radical chain growth of vinyl polymers. With the intense recent focus on RAFT, new strategies for initiation and external control have emerged that are paving the way for preparing well‐defined polymers for demanding applications. In this work, the cutting‐edge innovations in RAFT that are opening up this technique to a broader suite of materials researchers are explored. Emerging strategies for activating TCTs are surveyed, which are providing access into traditionally challenging environments for reversible‐deactivation radical polymerization. The latest advances and future perspectives in applying RAFT‐derived polymers are also shared, with the goal to convey the rich potential of RAFT for an ever‐expanding range of high‐performance applications.

中文翻译：

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超越传统 RAFT 聚合的进展和前景

事实证明，基于明确聚合物结构的先进材料的开发是工业界和学术界高度繁荣的研究方向。受控自由基聚合技术正受到前所未有的关注，现在通常利用可逆失活链增长程序来制备极其精确的聚合物产品。可逆加成断裂链转移（RAFT）聚合是该领域的一种强大的方案，其中硫代羰基硫（TCT）化合物的独特化学性质可用于控制乙烯基聚合物的自由基链增长。随着最近对 RAFT 的强烈关注，引发和外部控制的新策略已经出现，为制备满足高要求应用的明确聚合物铺平了道路。在这项工作中，我们探索了 RAFT 的前沿创新，这些创新将这项技术向更广泛的材料研究人员开放。对激活 TCT 的新兴策略进行了调查，这些策略为可逆失活自由基聚合提供了进入传统挑战性环境的途径。还分享了应用 RAFT 衍生聚合物的最新进展和未来前景，旨在展示 RAFT 在不断扩大的高性能应用领域的丰富潜力。