- Regular advanced search queries from for instance Web of Science can be easily translated to Reaxys.
- Use the NEXT/x operator for more relevant results combining two terms. With i.e. polymer NEXT/2 blend the words polymer and blend can be a maximum of 2 places apart from each other ('polymer blend': yes. 'polymer in a blend': yes. 'polymers synthesized via a blend of methods': no). You can expand or limit your search by in- or decreasing the number of words between the two items (NEXT/3 or NEXT/1).
- Don't forget synonyms and/or abbreviations.
- Nest accordingly.
Example:
Polymers with just one monomer can be searched by the monomer (either by text or as a structure search) combined with poly/polymer as text. If this is still too broad, combine it with another specific feature of your polymer, i.e. raft agents. Check the other tabs of this box.
Copolymer search
You could use the fields Number of components and Substance properties and comments, both combined with the chemical name:
Search by shape
Polymers often can be defined by their shape. Include the type of shape in your search. Don't forget to add synonyms and/or plurals, like star or starred. Using the NEXT/x- or NEAR/x-operator will increase the possibility that 'star' is in fact linked to your polymer. Evaluate the results to check if x needs to increase or decrease for better results.
Example:
Block polymers
Use the organization of monomers in the polymer backbone as a search: combine the different blocks with the word block. Make it more specific using the NEXT operator in the Query Builder:
Blended polymers
Use the nesting options and operators to combine the different polymers with the word blend. Example:
Properties
Is your polymer crystalline or in a glassy state? Use this in your search. Some examples:
Reaction conditions
The way a polymer is synthesized might be so specific it will help you search for it. For instance the use of RAFT agents. Include this in your search, preferably with a NEXT-operator to prevent noise:
Simple search: 12.963 results
Query Builder: 3.822 results
Polymers with specific terminals
Example:
Polymers and networks
Example:
Polymers and nanoparticles
Example:
