An updated review on the modifications, recycling, polymerization, and applications of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)

The constraints of pure PMMA have made the cross-linkage of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) an interesting issue to meet application requirements. Cross-linked PMMA offers several advantages over its uncross-linked counterpart, due to its exceptional electrical insulation, chemical stability, clarity, improved heat resistance, superior mechanical properties, and abrasion resistance, and one of the most used polymer cements in orthopedic surgery is polymethyl methacrylate, or PMMA. PMMA, or poly(methyl methacrylate), is widely utilized in a variety of industries, including optical equipment, aviation, architecture, and health care. However, PMMA's physical characteristics play a major role in its utilization. An increase in molecular weight results in an increase in mechanical qualities, for example, elasticity, Young's modulus, shear modulus, and fracture surface energy. Therefore, it is essential to synthesize high molecular weight PMMA. This review briefly discusses the impact of adding an organometallic component to the polymer's backbone to pendant functionalized poly(methyl methacrylate) PMMA, UV radiation, free radical cross-linking, small-molecule cross-linking, condensation methods, the use of coordination polymerization, atom transferring radical polymerization, and conventional polymerization by free radical to produce high molecular weight PMMA; additionally, the impact of cross-linkers on the characteristics of polymers is discussed. The paper also looks at a number of important uses of cross-linked PMMA.