Volume 61, Issue 2 e202112526
Communication

Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization of a Macrobicyclic Olefin Bearing a Sacrificial Silyloxide Bridge

Zhen Yu

Zhen Yu

Institute of Advanced Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-medical Research, State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 211189 China

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Dr. Meng Wang

Dr. Meng Wang

Institute of Advanced Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-medical Research, State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 211189 China

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Dr. Xu-Man Chen

Dr. Xu-Man Chen

Institute of Advanced Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-medical Research, State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 211189 China

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Dr. Shuai Huang

Dr. Shuai Huang

Institute of Advanced Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-medical Research, State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 211189 China

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Prof. Hong Yang

Corresponding Author

Prof. Hong Yang

Institute of Advanced Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-medical Research, State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 211189 China

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First published: 24 October 2021
Citations: 14

Graphical Abstract

We developed a macrobicyclic olefin system bearing a sacrificial silyloxide bridge on the α,β′-positions of the double bond as a new sequence-defined monomer for regio-selective ring-opening metathesis polymerization. The monomeric sequence information is implanted in the macro-ring, while the small ring with a substantial ring tension can provide not only narrow polydispersity, but also high regio-/stereospecificity.

Abstract

Ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) has been regarded as a powerful tool for sequence-controlled polymerization. However, the traditional entropy-driven ROMP of macrocyclic olefins suffers from the lack of ring strain and poor regioselectivity, whereas the relay-ring-closing metathesis polymerization inevitably brings some unnecessary auxiliary structure into each monomeric unit. We developed a macrobicyclic olefin system bearing a sacrificial silyloxide bridge on the α,β′-positions of the double bond as a new class of sequence-defined monomer for regioselective ROMP. The monomeric sequence information is implanted in the macro-ring, while the small ring, a 3-substituted cyclooctene structure with substantial ring tension, can provide not only narrow polydispersity, but also high regio-/stereospecificity. Besides, the silyloxide bridge can be sacrificially cleaved by desilylation and deoxygenation reactions to provide clean-structured, non-auxiliaried polymers.

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