Addition homo- and copolymerization of 3-triethoxysilyltricyclo[4.2.1.0<Superscript>2,5</Superscript>]non-7-ene

New norbornene type monomer bearing reactive triethoxysilyl group was synthesized, and its addition homo- and copolymerization with 3-trimethylsilyltricyclonon-7-ene was studied. The target monomer was obtained using regio- and stereospecific [2σ+2σ+2π] cyclo-addition of quadricyclane with vinyltrichlorosilane followed by the reaction of the formed cycloadduct with ethanol in the presence of triethylamine. Addition polymerization was investigated over the three-component Pd-containing catalytic system (Pd complex, Na+[B(3,5-(CF₃)₂C₆H₃)₄]–(cocatalyst) and tricyclohexylphosphine). The N-heterocyclic carbene Pd complex (SIPrPd(cinn)Cl) with high activity and tolerance to the Si—O—C moieties was used as a catalyst. The yields of the homo- and copolymers were 24—68% depending on the monomer (comonomer): Pd: B: PCy₃ ratio. The obtained addition polymers are high-molecular-weight amorphous products, the glass transition temperature of which exceeds 300 °C. The presence of reactive Si(OC₂H₅)₃ groups in the homo- and copolymers made it possible to carry out a hard-to-realize cross-linking involving side substituents and followed by the formation of insoluble polymers.     

Synthesis of branched polystyrene by ATRP exploiting divinylbenzene as branching comonomer

Branched polystyrenes have been synthesized using atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of styrene in the presence of divinyllbenzene (DVB) as branching comonomer. The synthesis was completed via facile one pot approach. Mole ratio of styrene to DVB in range of 5:1-30:1 was employed to obtain soluble polymers. The kinetics of the polymerization and evolution of polymer compositions were revealed by determining the conversions of reactants by gas chromatography (GC). The growth of molecular weight was monitored by GPC and the results indicate that the branched polymers were formed by self-condensing vinyl polymerization (SCVP) of AB^∗ monomer or macromonomers. The branched structure of the resulting polymers was confirmed by the remarkable discrepancies of the weight average molecular weights determined by GPC and multi angle laser light scattering (MALLS). The specific viscosity of the resulting polymer is also much lower compared with that of linear analogues. The influence of dosage of initiator and catalyst on the yield and molecular weights of the resulting polymers was also investigated.     

Investigation of catalyst‐transfer condensation polymerization for synthesis of poly(p‐phenylenevinylene)

Kumada‐Tamao coupling polymerization of 1,4‐dialkoxy‐2‐bromo‐5‐(2‐chloromagnesiovinyl)benzene ( 1 ) and 1,4‐dialkoxy‐2‐(2‐bromovinyl)‐5‐chloromagnesiobenzene ( 2 ) with a Ni catalyst and Suzuki‐Miyaura coupling polymerization of 2‐{2‐[(2,5‐dialkoxy‐4‐iodophenyl)]vinyl}‐4,4,5,5‐tetramethyl‐1,3,2‐dioxaborolane ( 3 ), its bromo counterpart 4 , and 2,5‐dialkoxy‐4‐(2‐bromovinyl)phenylboronic acid ( 5 ) with a Pd initiator were investigated under catalyst‐transfer condensation polymerization conditions for the synthesis of well‐defined poly(p‐phenylenevinylene) (PPV). The Kumada‐Tamao polymerization of vinyl Grignard‐type monomer 1 with Ni(dppp)Cl₂ at room temperature did not proceed, whereas aryl Grignard‐type monomer 2 afforded oligomers of low molecular weight. Matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization time‐of‐flight (MALDI‐TOF) mass spectra of the polymer obtained from 2 implied that the Grignard end group reacted with tetrahydrofuran to terminate polymerization. On the other hand, Suzuki‐Miyaura polymerization of vinyl boronic acid ester type monomers 3 and 4 and phenylboronic acid type monomer 5 with a Pd initiator and aqueous KOH at ?20 °C to room temperature yielded the corresponding PPV with high molecular weight within a few minutes. However, the molecular weight distribution was broad, and MALDI‐TOF mass spectra showed the peaks of polymers bearing no initiator unit at the chain end, as well as those of polymers with the initiator unit. These results indicated that intermolecular chain transfer of the Pd catalyst occurred. Dehalogenation and disproportionation of the growing end also took place as side reactions. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 2643‐2653     

Mechanistic Investigation of Catalyst‐Transfer Suzuki–Miyaura Condensation Polymerization of Thiophene–Pyridine Biaryl Monomers with the Aid of Model Reactions

We have investigated the requirements for efficient Pd‐catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura catalyst‐transfer condensation polymerization (Pd‐CTCP) reactions of 2‐alkoxypropyl‐6‐(5‐bromothiophen‐2‐yl)‐3‐(4,4,5,5‐tetramethyl‐1,3,2‐dioxaborolan‐2‐yl)pyridine ( 12 ) as a donor–acceptor (D –A) biaryl monomer. As model reactions, we first carried out the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction of X–Py–Th–X′ (Th=thiophene, Py=pyridine, X, X′=Br or I) 1 with phenylboronic acid ester 2 by using tBu₃PPd⁰ as the catalyst. Monosubstitution with a phenyl group at Th‐I mainly took place in the reaction of Br–Py–Th–I ( 1 b ) with 2 , whereas disubstitution selectively occurred in the reaction of I–Py–Th–Br ( 1 c ) with 2 , indicating that the Pd catalyst is intramolecularly transferred from acceptor Py to donor Th. Therefore, we synthesized monomer 12 by introduction of a boronate moiety and bromine into Py and Th, respectively. However, examination of the relationship between monomer conversion and the M_n of the obtained polymer, as well as the matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization time‐of‐flight (MALDI‐TOF) mass spectra, indicated that Suzuki–Miyaura coupling polymerization of 12 with (o‐tolyl)tBu₃PPdBr initiator 13 proceeded in a step‐growth polymerization manner through intermolecular transfer of the Pd catalyst. To understand the discrepancy between the model reactions and polymerization reaction, Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reactions of 1 c with thiopheneboronic acid ester instead of 2 were carried out. This resulted in a decrease of the disubstitution product. Therefore, step‐growth polymerization appears to be due to intermolecular transfer of the Pd catalyst from Th after reductive elimination of the Th‐Pd‐Py complex formed by transmetalation of polymer Th–Br with (Pin)B–Py–Th–Br monomer 12 (Pin=pinacol). Catalysts with similar stabilization energies of metal–arene η²‐coordination for D and A monomers may be needed for CTCP reactions of biaryl D–A monomers.     

Initiation and propagation steps in the equibinary polymerization of butadiene by bis(h3-allylnickel trifluoroacetate)

Polymerization of butadiene by bis(h³-allylnickel trifluoroacetate) in benzene and o-dichlorobenzene solvents yields an equibinary 1,4-polybutadiene, containing equal amounts of cis and trans isomers. Initiation proceeds by addition of the allylic moiety of the initiator to a butadiene molecule. The rate of initiation is high enough to ensure complete consumption of the catalyst for a monomer/catalyst molar ratio of about 10 at 5°C. The propagation exhibits the characteristics of a “living” polymerization: the molecular weight is proportional to the conversion, and at the end of the reaction, the average degree of polymerization is equal to the monomer/catalyst molar ratio. Living polybutadienyl-nickel trifluoroacetate is able to reinitiate not only butadiene polymerization but also allene polymerization. However, for high [monomer]/[catalyst] ratios, conversion-dependent transfer reactions limit the molecular weight to 7000 in benzene and to 70,000 in bulk polymerization in the presence of small amounts of o-dichlorobenzene.     

二噻吩并[2,3-b:2',3'-d]噻吩钯(Ⅱ)配合物引发AB型芴单体聚合

5-溴-2-三甲硅基-二噻吩并[2,3-b:2',3'-d]噻吩(bt-DTT-Br)与双(三环己基)膦钯(0)进行氧化加成反应,合成了相应的芳基钯(Ⅱ)配合物,X光晶体结构分析表明,配合物中心金属离子为平面四方构型,膦配体处于反式位置。该配合物在加热时可以引发AB型芴单体聚合,得到一个端基为bt-DTT的聚芴共轭聚合物。相似端基结构的聚芴可以由bt-DTT-Br与不同膦配体钯(0)配合物原位生成的芳基钯配合物引发AB型芴单体聚合制备。辅助配体为三(邻甲基苯基)膦或三叔丁基膦时,配合物引发的AB型芴单体聚合室温下即可进行,并给出单一且端基结构明确的聚芴。基质辅助激光解吸电离飞行时间质谱(MALDI-TOF)分析证实,聚合物的一个端基是来自芳基钯配合物中的bt-DTT,另一端基为Br/H原子或封端基团。凝胶渗透色谱(GPC)分析表明,聚合物相对分子质量随单体与催化剂的投料比增加呈线性增长,聚合反应遵循催化剂转移聚合机理。     

Synthesis of poly(1‐chloro‐2‐arylacetylene)s with high cis‐content and examination of their absorption/emission properties

A series of 1‐chloro‐2‐arylacetylenes [Cl‐C?C‐Ar, Ar = C₆H₅ ( 1 ), C₆H₄‐p‐i Pr ( 2 ), C₆H₄‐p‐Oi Pr ( 3 ), C₆H₄‐p‐NHC(O)Ot Bu ( 4 ), and C₆H₄‐o‐i Pr ( 5 )] were polymerized using (tBu₃P)PdMeCl/silver trifluoromethanesulfonate (AgOTf) and MoCl₅/SnBu₄ catalysts. The corresponding polymers [poly( 1 )–poly( 5 )] with weight‐average molecular weights of 6,500–690,000 were obtained in 10–91% yields. THF‐insoluble parts, presumably high‐molecular weight polymers, were formed together with THF‐soluble polymers by the Pd‐catalyzed polymerization. The Pd catalyst polymerized nonpolar monomers 1 and 2 to give the polymers in yields lower than the Mo catalyst, while the Pd catalyst polymerized polar monomers 3 and 4 to give the corresponding polymers in higher yields. The ¹H NMR and UV–vis absorption spectra of the polymers indicated that the cis‐contents of the Pd‐based polymers were higher than those of the Mo‐based polymers, and the conjugation length of the Pd‐based polymers was shorter than that of the Mo‐based polymers. Pd‐based poly( 5 ) emitted fluorescence most strongly among poly( 1 )–poly( 5 ). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55 , 382–388     

AGET ATRP of water‐soluble PEGMA: Fast living radical polymerization mediated by iron catalyst

In this work, living radical polymerizations of a water‐soluble monomer poly(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether methacylate (PEGMA) in bulk with low‐toxic iron catalyst system, including iron chloride hexahydrate and triphenylphosphine, were carried out successfully. Effect of reaction temperature and catalyst concentration on the polymerization of PEGMA was investigated. The polymerization kinetics showed the features of “living”/controlled radical polymerization. For example, M_n,GPC values of the resultant polymers increased linearly with monomer conversion. A faster polymerization of PEGMA could be obtained in the presence of a reducing agent Fe(0) wire or ascorbic acid. In the case of Fe(0) wire as the reducing agent, a monomer conversion of 80% was obtained in 80 min of reaction time at 90 °C, yielding a water‐soluble poly(PEGMA) with M_n = 65,500 g mol^?1 and M_w/M_n = 1.39. The features of “living”/controlled radical polymerization of PEGMA were verified by analysis of chain‐end and chain‐extension experiments. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Synthesis of Reactive-Ended Acrylic Polymers by Group Transfer Polymerization: Initiation with Silyl Ketene Acetals

Living methacrylate polymers are obtained at room temperature and above by initiation with ketene silyl acetals in the presence of a soluble bifluoride catalyst. During the polymerization, a trialkylsilyl group is transferred from the living chain end to incoming monomer. The new procedure has thus been named group transfer polymerization (GTP). Monodisperse polymers with predetermined molecular weights as high as 100,000 can be obtained by adjusting the monomer/initiator ratio. Telechelic poly(methyl methacrylate) with hydroxy or carboxy ends can be obtained by using an initiator containing a protected hydroxy or carboxy group and coupling the resulting living polymer.     

Single and binary catalyst systems based on nickel and palladium in polymerization of ethylene

The catalyst (N,N‐bis(2,6‐dibenzhydryl‐4‐ethoxyphenyl)butane‐2,3‐diimine)nickel dibromide, a late transition metal catalyst, was prepared and used in ethylene polymerization. The effects of reaction parameters such as polymerization temperature, co‐catalyst to catalyst molar ratio and monomer pressure on the polymerization were investigated. The α‐diimine nickel‐based catalyst was demonstrated to be thermally robust at a temperature as high as 90 °C. The highest activity of the catalyst (494 kg polyethylene (mol cat)^?1 h^?1) was obtained at [Al]/[Ni] = 600:1, temperature of 90 °C and pressure of 5 bar. In addition, the performance of a binary catalyst using nickel‐ and palladium‐based complexes was compared with that of the corresponding individual catalytic systems in ethylene polymerization. In a study of the catalyst systems, the average molecular weight and molecular weight distribution for the binary polymerization were between those for the individual catalytic polymerizations; however, the binary catalyst activity was lower than that of the two individual ones. The obtained polyethylenes had high molecular weights in the region of 10⁵ g mol^?1. Gel permeation chromatography analysis showed a narrow molecular weight distribution of 1.44 for the nickel‐based catalyst and 1.61 for the binary catalyst system. The branching density of the polyethylenes generated using the binary catalytic system (30 branches/1000 C) was lower than that generated using the nickel‐based catalyst (51/1000 C). X‐ray diffraction study of the polymer chains showed higher crystallinity with lower branching of the polymer obtained. Also Fourier transform infrared spectra confirmed that all obtained polymers were low‐density polyethylene.     

Anionic polymerization of methyl methacrylate with Cr(C5H7O2)3–Al(C2H5)3 catalyst system

A homogeneous catalyst system, Cr(C₅H₇O₂)₃–Al(C₂H₅)₃, was used for the polymerization of methyl methacrylate. The yield of polymer increased up to an Al/Cr ratio of 12 and thereafter remained almost constant with increasing Al/Cr. The rate of polymerization increased linearly with increasing catalyst and monomer concentrations at Al/Cr = 12. The molecular weight, however, decreased with increasing catalyst concentration and increased with increasing monomer concentration, indicating anionic polymerization reaction. NMR studies of the polymers indicated the presence of a stereoblock structure, which changed to heteroblock structure in presence of triethylamine and hydroquinone as additives in the catalyst. In the light of these observations, the mechanism of the polymerization is discussed.     

Controlled ring‐opening polymerization of propylene oxide catalyzed by double metal‐cyanide complex

A double metal‐cyanide catalyst based on Zn₃[Co(CN)₆]₂ was prepared. This catalyst is very effective for the ring‐opening polymerization of propylene oxide. Polyether polyols of moderate molecular weight having low unsaturation (<0.015 meq/g) can be prepared under mild conditions. The molecular weight of polymer is entirely controlled by a reacted monomer‐to‐initiator ratio. The polymers prepared with stepwise addition of monomer exhibit a narrower molecular weight distribution as compared with those prepared with one‐step addition of monomer. Various compounds containing active hydrogen, except basic compounds and low‐carbon carboxylic acid, may be used as initiators. The reaction rate increases with increasing catalyst amount and decreases with rising initiator concentration. Polymerization involves a rapid exchange reaction between the active species and the dormant species. It was also proven that, to a certain extent, the chain termination of this catalytic system is reversible or temporary. ¹³C NMR analysis showed that the polymer has a random distribution of the configurational sequences and head‐to‐tail regiosequence. It is assumed that the polymerization proceeds via a cationic coordination mechanism. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 1142–1150, 2002     

Investigation of catalyst‐transfer condensation polymerization for the synthesis of n‐type π‐conjugated polymer,poly(2‐dioxaalkylpyridine‐3,6‐diyl)

Kumada‐Tamao coupling polymerization of 6‐bromo‐3‐chloromagnesio‐2‐(3‐(2‐methoxyethoxy)propyl)pyridine 1 with a Ni catalyst and Suzuki‐Miyaura coupling polymerization of boronic ester monomer 2 , which has the same substituted pyridine structure, with ^tBu₃PPd(o‐tolyl)Br were investigated for the synthesis of a well‐defined n‐type π‐conjugated polymer. We first carried out a model reaction of 2,5‐dibromopyridine with 0.5 equivalent of phenylmagnesium chloride in the presence of Ni(dppp)Cl₂ and then observed exclusive formation of 2,5‐diphenylpyridine, indicating that successive coupling reaction took place via intramolecular transfer of Ni(0) catalyst on the pyridine ring. Then, we examined the Kumada‐Tamao polymerization of 1 and found that it proceeded homogeneously to afford soluble, regioregular head‐to‐tail poly(pyridine‐2,5‐diyl), poly(3‐(2‐(2‐(methoxyethoxy)propyl)pyridine) (PMEPPy). However, the molecular weight distribution of the polymers obtained with several Ni and Pd catalysts was very broad, and the matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectra showed that the polymer had Br/Br and Br/H end groups, implying that the catalyst‐transfer polymerization is accompanied with disproportionation. Suzuki‐Miyaura polymerization of 2 with ^tBu₃PPd(o‐tolyl)Br also afforded PMEPPy with a broad molecular weight distribution, and the tolyl/tolyl‐ended polymer was a major product, again indicating the occurrence of disproportionation. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Importance of active-site reactivity and reaction conditions in the preparation of hyperbranched polymers by self-condensing vinyl polymerization: Highly branched vs. linear poly[4-(chloromethyl)styrene] by metal-catalyzed “living” radical polymerization

The self-condensing vinyl polymerization of 4-(chloromethyl)styrene using metal-catalyzed living radical polymerization catalyzed by the complex CuCl/2,2′-bipyridyl has been attempted. Given the unequal reactivity of the two potential propagating species in this system, a variety of polymerization conditions were tested to optimize the extent of branching in the products. Typical reaction conditions included polymerization in the bulk, or preferably in chlorobenzene solution, with catalyst to monomer ratios in the range 0.01–0.30, temperatures of 100–130°C, and reaction times from 0.1 to 32 h. Polymers with weight average molecular weights between 3 × 10³ and 1.6 × 10⁵ and different extents of branching are formed as evidenced by size-exclusion chromatography, light scattering, and NMR analysis of the reaction products. The influence of reaction conditions on the molecular weight and branching of the resulting polymers is discussed in detail. In sharp contrast to an earlier report, the weight of evidence suggests that, at a catalyst to monomer ratio of 0.01, an almost linear polymer is obtained, while a high catalyst to monomer ratio favors the formation of a branched structure. As a result of the unequal reactivity of the primary and secondary benzylic halide reactive sites, growth occurs by a modified self-condensing vinyl polymerization mechanism that involves incorporation of the largely linear vinyl-terminated fragments formed early on in the polymerization into the vinyl polymer, to afford an irregularly branched structure. Chemical transformations involving the numerous benzylic halide functionalities of the highly branched polymer have been investigated. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 955–970, 1998     

Synthesis of hyperbranched polymer having binaphthol units via oxidative cross‐coupling polymerization

The oxidative coupling polymerization of triphenylamine derivatives having 2‐naphthol moieties with a CuCl‐2,2′‐isopropylidenebis(4‐phenyl‐2‐oxazoline) catalyst under an O₂ atmosphere was carried out. The polymerization of the monomer bearing both the hydroxynaphthoate and naphthol units afforded a hyperbranched polymer with a high cross‐coupling selectivity of > 99%, which showed a number‐average molecular weight of 20.3 × 10³. In addition, the obtained polymer was quite soluble in THF. The photoluminescence and electrochemical properties of the obtained polymers were also examined. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 1034–1041, 2008     

Preparation of ultra high molecular weight amorphous poly(1‐hexene) by a Ziegler–Natta catalyst

High molecular weight polymers such as poly (α‐olefin)s play a key role as drag‐reducing agents which are commonly used in pipeline industry. Heterogeneous Ziegler–Natta catalyst system of MgCl₂.nEtOH/TiCl₄/donor was prepared using a spherical MgCl₂ support and utilized in synthesis of poly(1‐hexene)s with a viscosity average molecular weight (M_v) up to 3.5 × 10³ kDa. The influence of effective parameters including Al/Ti ratio, polymerization temperature, monomer concentration, effect of alkylaluminus type on the productivity, and molecular weight of the products was evaluated. It was suggested that the reactivity of the Al‐R group and the bulkiness of the cocatalyst were correlated to the performance of the Ziegler–Natta catalyst at different polymerization time and temperatures, affecting the catalyst activity and M_v of polymers. Moreover, bulk polymerization method leads to higher viscosity average molecular weights, revealing the remarkable effect of polymerization method on the chain microstructure. Fourier transform infrared, ¹³C Nuclear magnetic resonance spectra, and DSC thermogram of the prepared polymers confirmed the formation of poly(1‐hexene). The properties of the polymers measured by vortex test showed that these polymers could be used as a drag‐reducing agent. Drag‐reducing behaviors of the polymers exhibited a dependence on the M_v of the obtained polymers that was changed by variation in polymerization parameters. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electroinitiated polymerization of allylphenylether

Electroinitiated polymerization of allylphenylether via constant potential electrolysis was accomplished in acetonitrile at room temperature. Electroinitiated polymerization of the monomer yielded insoluble polymers on the surface of the anode together with soluble polymers in the bulk solution. The structural analyses of the polymers were done by ¹H-NMR and FTIR spectroscopy. ¹H-NMR results showed that monosubstituted aromatic ring of the monomer becomes tri-substituted during the electroinitiated polymerization. The effect of monomer concentration and applied potential on the rate of electroinitiated polymerization were also studied. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Unsymmetrical N-Heterocyclic Carbene: 1-Isopropyl-3-benzylimidazol-2-ylidene as Catalyst for Ring-Opening Polymerization of ϵ-Caprolactone

An unsymmetrical N-heterocyclic carbene, namely 1-isopropyl-3-benzylimidazol-2-ylidene, is a highly active catalyst for ring-opening polymerization of ?-caprolactone (CL) to give polycaprolactone (PCL) with number average molecular weight (Mn) as high as 2.66 × 10⁴ at 0°C in 100 min in tetrahydrofuran (THF). The effects of monomer/initiator molar ratio ([M]/[I]), catalyst/initiator molar ratio ([C]/[I]), monomer concentration, as well as polymerization temperature and time have been investigated. The kinetic studies of CL polymerization have indicated that the polymerization rate is first-order with respect to both monomer and catalyst concentrations. The apparent activation energy amounts to 56.04 kJ/mol. The proposed mechanism is a monomer-activated process.     

Enantiomer-selective Living Polymerization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">rac</Emphasis>-Phenyl Isocyanide Using Chiral Palladium Catalyst

We report the polymerization of phenyl isocyanides with the chiral palladium(II) initiating system. The resulting polymers with optically active properties were obtained by polymerization of the racemic isocyanide monomer (rac-1), and enantiomerically unbalanced polymerization of the monomer was found, providing substantial evidence for the enantiomer-selective polymerization of rac-1 mediated through chiral catalyst. A comparison between the enantiomerically pure monomers, 4-isocyanobenzoyl-L-alanine decyl ester (1s) and 4-isocyanobenzoyl-D-alanine decyl ester (1r), revealed a drastic discrepancy in the reactivity ratio of their homopolymerizations. It turned out that the monomer reactivity ratio of 1s was higher than that of 1r with chiral ligands. The results clearly demonstrated the inclination for incorporation of the 1s enantiomer during the polymerization process and thus resulted in the enantiomer-selective polymerization in this system. The effects of the catalyst chirality on the optically active properties of polymerization were investigated, and it was concluded that the formation of higher-ordered conformation with a handed helicity might be attributed to the chiral induction of chiral palladium(II) catalyst. Moreover, the polymers obtained through the enantiomer-selective polymerization of the enantiomerically pure monomer were with a significant improvement of the optical activity if the chirality of the monomer and the catalyst matched with each other.     

Addition polymerization of norbornene using bis(β‐ketoamino)nickel(II)/tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane catalytic systems

Norbornene polymerizations proceeded in toluene with bis(β‐ketoamino)nickel(II) {Ni[CH₃C(O)CHC(NR)CH₃]₂ [R = phenyl ( 1 ) or naphthyl ( 2 )]} complexes as the catalyst precursors and the organo‐Lewis compound tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane [B(C₆F₅)₃] as a unique cocatalyst. The polymerization conditions, such as the cocatalyst/catalyst ratio (B/Ni), catalyst concentration, monomer/catalyst ratio (norbornene/Ni), polymerization temperature, and polymerization time, were studied in detail. Both bis(β‐ketoamino)nickel(II)/B(C₆F₅)₃ catalytic systems showed noticeably high conversions and activities. The polymerization activities were up to 3.64 × 10⁷ g of polymer/mol of Ni h for complex 1 /(B(C₆F₅)₃ and 3.80 × 10⁷ g of polymer/mol of Ni h for complex 2 /B(C₆F₅)₃, and very high conversions of 90–95% were maintained; both polymerizations provided high‐molecular‐weight polynorbornenes with molecular weight distributions (weight‐average molecular weight/number‐average molecular weight) of 2.5–3.0. The achieved polynorbornenes were confirmed to be vinyl‐addition and atactic polymers through the analysis of Fourier transform infrared, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR spectra, and the thermogravimetric analysis results showed that the polynorbornenes exhibited good thermal stability (decomposition temperature > 410 °C). © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 4733–4743, 2007