Ring-opening metathesis polymerization of a strained stilbene-based macrocyclic monomer

We report the synthesis of a new class of strained macrocycle that performs well in ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). The polymerization displays chain growth characteristics with evidence of secondary metathesis in the form of chain transfer. The unique structure enables access to stilbene-based polymers that are traditionally prepared via uncontrolled polymerizations.

Congrats to Vinnie on his JACS paper!!

This project was led by the Barner-Kowollik group and centers on the discovery that disparate monomer classes, norbornene and methacrylates, can be copolymerized in a photomediated process. The paper can be found here: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jacs.9b09025

Hybrid Photo-induced Copolymerization of Ring-Strained and Vinyl Monomers Utilizing Metal-Free Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization Conditions

We introduce the hybrid copolymerization of two disparate monomer classes (vinyl monomers and ring-strained cyclic olefins) via living photopolymerization. The living character of the polymerization technique (metal-free photo-ROMP) is demonstrated by consecutive chain-extensions. Further, we propose a mechanism for the copolymerization and analyze the copolymer structure in detail by high-resolution mass spectrometry.