Effects of organometallic cocatalysts on the polymerization of disubstituted acetylenes by TaCl5 and NbCl5

The effects of organometallic cocatalysts on the polymerization of disubstituted acetylenes were investigated. Diphenylacetylene did not polymerize with TaCl₅ alone, while it produced a polymer quantitatively in the presence of appropriate cocatalysts (Me₄Sn, Et₃SiH, etc.). The poly(diphenylacetylene) formed was an insoluble yellow solid. 1-Phenyl-1-alkynes (1-Phenyl-1-butyne and -1-octyne) polymerized with TaCl₅ and NbCl₅ alone to yield polymers whose weight-average molecular weights (M _w's) were ca. 5 × 10⁵. Use of cocatalysts (nBu₄Sn etc.) to the polymerization of these monomers accelerated the reaction, and increased the polymer molecular weights up to ca. 1.5 × 10⁶. The poly(1-phenyl-1-alkynes) were soluble white solids. Internal octynes (2-, 3-, and 4-octynes) gave mixtures of a polymer and cyclotrimers with TaCl₅ alone. In contrast, cyclotrimers formed virtually selectively by addition of cocatalysts. Thus, various effects of organometallic cocatalysts were observed depending on the kind of monomer.     

Cyclopolymerization of dipropargyl isopropylidene malonate and characterization of the product

The polymerization of dipropargyl isopropylidene malonate (DPIPM) was polymerized by WCl₆ and MoCl₅ associated with various organometallic cocatalysts. MoCl₅ was found to be the most effective catalyst and Ph₄Sn was observed to have a high cocatalyst activity. Structure and physical properties of poly(DPIPM) were investigated. The spectral data indicated that poly(DPIPM) contains alternating double and single bonds along the polymer backbone and a cyclic recurring unit. The poly(DPIPM) was partially soluble in common organic solvents. The M?_n values of the polymer from soluble fraction were in the range of 5100–8000 relative to polystyrene standards by GPC. In addition, poly(DPIPM) possesses good stability to air oxidition. When poly(DPIPM) is exposed to iodine vapor, the electrical conductivity was increased from 4.5 × 10^?11 to 7 × 10^?2 S/cm. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis and properties of a poly(diphenylacetylene) containing carbazolyl groups

1-(p-N-Carbazolylphenyl)-2-phenylacetylene (p-CzDPA) was polymerized by TaCl₅–co-catalyst systems (cocatalysts: n-Bu₁Sn, Et₃SiH, and 9BBN) to produce acetone-insoluble polymers in about 60-70% yields. Poly(p-CzDPA) was a yellowish-orange solid, most part of which was soluble in toluene, chloroform, etc., and its weight-average molecular weights were around 4×10⁵. This polymer formed a tough film by solution casting, and was thermally very stable (the onset temperature of weight loss in TGA in air 470°C). The oxygen per-meability coefficient of the polymer at 25°C was lower than two barrers. The present polymer showed photoconductivity and redox activity. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(cyclohexane 2,2-dipropargyl-1,3-propylene ketal) containing double spiro structure

The Polymerization was carried out by MoCl₅ and WCl₆ associated with various organo-metallic cocatalysts. MoCl₅-based catalysts were found to be more effective. Polymerization of monomer containing a spiro structure proceeded rapidly to reach 80% yield within 2 h at 30°C. Polymerization of monomer led to a soluble, purple colored polymer with number average molecular weight (M_n) of 50000. Elemental analysis, ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, IR, and UV-visible spectra of the resulting polymer indicated that the polymer contains alternating double and single bonds along the polymer backbone and a cyclic recurring unit with a double spiro structure. In addition, the polymer had good oxidative and thermal stability and good solubility in common organic solvents. © 1995 John wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Cationic 1,2-vinyl addition polymerization of cyclic ketene acetals initiated by conventional acids

Pure 1,2-addition polymers, poly(2-methylene-1,3-dioxolane), 1b , poly(2-methylene-1,3-dioxane), 2b , and poly(2-methylene-5,5-dimethyl-1,3-dioxane), 3b , were prepared using the cationic initiators H₂SO₄, TiCl₄, BF₃, and also Ru(PPh₃)₃Cl₂. Small ester carbonyl bands in the IR spectra of 1b and 2b were observed when the polymerizations were performed at 80°C ( 1b ) and both 67 and 138°C ( 2b ) using Ru(PPh₃)₃Cl₂. The poly(cyclic ketene acetals) were stable if they were not exposed to acid and water. They were quite thermally stable and did not decompose until 290°C ( 1b ), 240°C ( 2b ), and 294°C ( 3b ). Different chemical shifts for axial and equatorial H and CH₃ on the ketal rings were found in the ¹H NMR spectrum of 3b at room temperature. High molecular weight 3b (M̄_n = 8.68 × 10⁴, M̄_w = 1.31 × 10⁵, M̄_z = 1.57 × 10⁵) was obtained upon cationic initiation by H₂SO₄. Poly(2-methylene-1,3-dioxane), 2b , underwent partial hydrolysis when Ru(PPh₃)₃Cl₂ and water were present in the polymer. The hydrolyzed products were 1,3-propanediol and a polymer containing both poly(2-methylene-1,3-dioxane) and polyketene units. The percentages of these two units in the hydrolyzed polymer were about 32% polyketene and 68% poly(2-methylene-1,3-dioxane). No crosslinked or aromatic structures were observed in the hydrolyzed products. The molecular weight of hydrolyzed polymer was M̄_n = 5740, M̄_w = 7260, and M̄_z = 9060. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 3707–3716, 1997     

Self‐Healing Supramolecular Materials Constructed by Copolymerization via Molecular Recognition of Cavitand‐Based Coordination Capsules

The repeating guest units of poly‐(R)‐ 2 were selectively encapsulated by the self‐assembled capsule poly‐ 1 possessing eight polymer side chains to form the supramolecular graft polymer (poly‐ 1 )_n?poly‐(R)‐ 2 . The encapsulation of the guest units was confirmed by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and the DOSY technique. The hydrodynamic radius of the graft polymer structure was greatly increased upon the complexation of poly‐ 1 . The supramolecular graft polymer (poly‐ 1 )_n?poly‐(R)‐ 2 was stably formed in the 1:1 host–guest ratio, which increased the glass transition temperature by more than 10 °C compared to that of poly‐ 1 . AFM visualized that (poly‐ 1 )_n?poly‐(R)‐ 2 formed the networked structure on mica. The (poly‐ 1 )_n?poly‐(R)‐ 2 gelled in 1,1,2,2‐tetrachloroethane, which led to fabrication of distinct viscoelastic materials that demonstrated self‐healing behavior in a tensile test.     

Characterization of the functionalization reaction product of poly(styryl)lithium with ethylene oxide

The functionalization reaction of poly(styryl)lithiums (M_n = 1.3–9.9 × 10³) with ethylene oxide in benzene proceeds quantitatively ( > 99%) to produce the corresponding hydroxyethylated polymer as determined by vapor phase osmometry, size exclusion chromatography, end-group titration, thin layer chromatography, and ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy. ¹³C-NMR spectral analysis of the functionalized polystyrene with M_n = 1.3 × 10³ was consistent with addition of only one ethylene oxide unit to poly(styryl)lithium, i.e., no evidence for ethylene oxide oligomerization was observed.     

Synthesis and properties of a soluble and widely conjugated polyacetylene with anthryl pendant

The metathesis polymerization of an anthrylacetylene bearing an alkyl ester group, 9‐(10‐hexoxycarbonyl)anthrylacetylene ( 1 ), was conducted with various transition‐metal catalysts. A completely soluble black polymer was obtained from 1 in a good yield when W‐based catalysts were employed. The polymerization at a high monomer concentration (1 M) and a high temperature (80 °C) led to the formation of poly( 1 ) with a weight‐average molecular weight of 297 × 10³ in an 80% yield. The use of cocatalysts unexpectedly decreased both the yield and molecular weight of poly( 1 ). Rh‐catalyzed and Mo‐catalyzed polymerizations, however, resulted in poor yields of the polymer. The ultraviolet–visible spectrum of poly( 1 ) showed a significantly redshifted absorption (λ_max = 571) with a cutoff at 780 nm, which verified the very high order of conjugation of the main chain. Poly( 1 ) exhibited the largest third‐order nonlinear optical susceptibility [χ⁽³⁾ (−ω; ω, 0, 0) = − 1.9 × 10⁻¹⁰ esu] among the polymers from the monosubstituted polyacetylenes synthesized so far. The electrical conductivity of poly( 1 ) in an I₂‐doped state was 8.77 × 10⁻⁴ at 293 K. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 4717–4723, 2000     

Polymerization of 1-aryl-2-trimethylsilylacetylenes by transition metal catalysts(II)

Polymerization of 1-aryl-2-trimethylsilylacetylene (aryl = thienyl, furyl, and pyridyl) was carried out by transition metal catalysts. The polymer yield was generally low due to the steric hindrance. R₄Sn (R = Me, n-Bu, Ph) exhibits some cocatalytic activities with respect to polymer yield and molecular weight. On the other hand, the polymerization was decelerated when organoaluminum compounds were used as cocatalysts. The polymer yield increased in the following order: phenyl > thienyl > furyl > pyridyl, according to the aryl substituents. The NMR (¹H- and ¹³C-), IR, and UV-visible spectra indicated that the resulting polymers have a linear conjugated polyene structure each containing the aromatic substituent and trimethylsilyl group. From ¹H-NMR integration, it was found that the resulting polymers are partially desilylated depending on the substituents of monomer and the polymerization conditions. The solubility behavior, stability and fluoride-ion induced desilylation reaction of the polymers were also studied.     

Synthesis of thermally-induced phase separating polymer with well-defined polymer structure by living cationic polymerization. I. Synthesis of poly(vinyl ether)s with oxyethylene units in the pendant and its phase separation behavior in aqueous solution

Living cationic polymerization of alkoxyethyl vinyl ether [CH₂?CHOCH₂CH₂OR; R: CH₃ (MOVE), C₂H₅ (EOVE)] and related vinyl ethers with oxyethylene units in the pendant was achieved by 1-(isobutoxy)ethyl acetate ( 1 )/Et_1.5AlCl_1.5 initiating system in the presence of an added base (ethyl acetate or THF) in toluene at 0°C. The polymers had a very narrow molecular weight distribution (M?_w/M?_n = 1.1–1.2) and the M?_n proportionally increased with the progress of the polymerization reaction. On the other hand, the polymerization by 1 /EtAlCl₂ initiating system in the presence of ethyl acetate, which produces living polymer of isobutyl vinyl ether, yielded the nonliving polymer. When an aqueous solution of the polymers thus obtained was heated, the phase separation phenomenon was clearly observed in each polymer at a definite critical temperature (T_ps). For example, T_ps was 70°C for poly(MOVE), and 20°C for poly(EOVE) (1 wt % aqueous solution, M?_n ～ 2 × 10⁴). The phase separation for each case was quite sensitive (ΔT_ps = 0.3–0.5°C) and reversible on heating and cooling. The T_ps or ΔT_ps was clearly dependent not only on the structure of polymer side chains (oxyethylene chain length and ω-alkyl group), but also on the molecular weight (M?_n = 5 × 10³-7 × 10⁴) and its distribution. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Helical polyacetylenes carrying 2,2,6,6‐tetramethyl‐1‐piperidinyloxy and 2,2,5,5‐tetramethyl‐1‐pyrrolidinyloxy moieties: Their synthesis,properties, and function

2,2,6,6‐Tetramethyl‐1‐piperidinyloxy (TEMPO)‐ and 2,2,5,5‐tetramethyl‐1‐pyrrolidinyloxy (PROXYL)‐containing (R)‐1‐methylpropargyl TEMPO‐4‐carboxylate ( 1 ), (R)‐1‐methylpropargyl PROXYL‐3‐carboxylate ( 2 ), (rac)‐1‐methylpropargyl PROXYL‐3‐carboxylate ( 3 ), (S)‐1‐propargylcarbamoylethyl TEMPO‐4‐carboxylate ( 4 ), and (S)‐1‐propargyloxycarbonylethyl TEMPO‐4‐carboxylate ( 5 ) (TEMPO, PROXYL) were polymerized to afford novel polymers containing the TEMPO and PROXYL radicals at high densities. Monomers 1–3 and 5 provided polymers with moderate number‐average molecular weights of 8200–140,900 in 49–97% yields in the presence of (nbd)Rh⁺[η⁶‐C₆H₅B^?(C₆H₅)₃], whereas 4 gave no polymer with this catalyst but gave polymers possessing low M_n (3800–7500) in 56–61% yield with [(nbd)RhCl]₂‐Et₃N. Poly( 1 ), poly( 2 ), and poly( 4 ) took a helical structure with predominantly one‐handed screw sense in THF and CHCl₃ as well as in film state. The helical structure of poly( 1 ) and poly( 2 ) was stable upon heating and addition of MeOH, whereas poly( 4 ) was responsive to heat and solvents. All of the free radical‐containing polymers displayed the reversible charge/discharge processes, whose capacities were in a range of 43.2–112 A h/kg. In particular, the capacities of poly( 2 )–poly( 5 )‐based cells reached about 90–100% of the theoretical values regardless of the secondary structure of the polymer, helix and random. Poly( 1 ), poly( 2 ), and poly( 4 ) taking a helical structure exhibited better capacity tolerance towards the increase of current density than nonhelical poly( 3 ) and poly( 5 ) did. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 5431–5445, 2007     

Bound fractions of methacrylate polymers adsorbed on silica using FTIR

The H‐bonding of carbonyl groups on a series of methacrylate polymers with silanols on fumed silica was studied with transmission FTIR. The set included poly(alkyl methacrylates) with alkyl groups, (n‐C_nH_2n+1) of n = 1, 2, 4, and 12 and poly(benzyl methacrylate). Shifts in the vibrational frequencies for bound carbonyl groups (of ～20 cm^?1 lower than those found in the bulk) were observed in the adsorbed polymer samples. A series of samples with different adsorbed amounts (varying from 0.5 to 2.0 mg m^?2) of each polymer was prepared to determine the effect of the side chain on the H‐bonding. The fractions of bound carbonyls, p, for each of the methacrylate polymers studied, were calculated from a model based on the ratios of the absorption coefficients of the bound to free carbonyl resonances, X (= α_b/α_f). The X values were determined from linear regressions of the ratios of the free to bound carbonyl intensities as a function of the amounts of adsorbed polymer, M_t. The bound fractions, p, were observed to decrease with increase in adsorbed amounts and with increase in the lengths of the side chains of the methacrylate polymers, except for poly(lauryl methacrylate) (PLMA). PLMA has a very low glass transition temperature (T_g) and is likely rubbery on the surface, whereas the other polymers are likely glassy at ambient temperature. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 1911–1918, 2010     

Irreversible helix rearrangement from Cis‐transoid to Cis‐cisoid in poly(p‐n‐hexyloxyphenylacetylene) induced by heat‐treatment in solid phase

Polymerization of p‐n‐hexyloxyphenylacetylene (pHPA) by using a [Rh(norbornadine)Cl]₂‐triethylamine catalyst was carried out at room temperature to afford stereoregular helical poly(p‐n‐hexyloxyphenylacetylene)s (PpHPAs). When ethanol and n‐hexane were used as polymerization solvents, a bright yellow PpHPAs, poly( Y ) with M_n = 8.5 × 10⁴ and its purple red polymer, poly( R ) with M_n = 5.3 × 10⁴ were obtained in 95% yields and 84% yields, respectively. Diffuse reflective UV–vis spectra of poly( Y ) and poly( R ) in solid phase showed different broad absorption peaks at 445 and 575 nm, respectively. X‐Ray diffraction patterns of poly( Y ) and poly( R ) showed typical columnar structures assignable to cis‐transoid and cis‐cisoid structures, respectively, which were also supported by molecule mechanics calculation. Poly( Y ) was irreversibly transformed to a reddish‐black polymer, poly( Y‐B ), which columnar diameter was nearly the same as that of poly( R ). Further, poly( Y ) showed an exothermic peak in the differential scanning calorimetry trace at 80 °C for 1 h in N₂ gas. Thus, these findings suggest a thermally irreversible rearrangement from an unstable cis‐transoid form, poly( Y ) with a stretched cis‐transoid helix to a stable cis‐cisoid form, poly( R ), with a contracted cis‐cisoid helix in the solid phase to give poly( Y → B ) with the cis‐cisoid form. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Emulsion polymerization of vinyl acetate using iodine‐transfer and RAFT radical polymerizations

This study deals with control of the molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of poly(vinyl acetate) by iodine‐transfer radical polymerization and reversible addition‐fragmentation transfer (RAFT) emulsion polymerizations as the first example. Emulsion polymerization using ethyl iodoacetate as the chain transfer agent more closely approximated the theoretical molecular weights than did the free radical polymerization. Although ¹H NMR spectra indicated that the peaks of α‐ and ω‐terminal groups were observed, the molecular weight distributions show a relatively broad range (M_w/M_n = 2.2–4.0). On the other hand, RAFT polymerizations revealed that the dithiocarbamate 7 is an excellent candidate to control the polymer molecular weight (M_n = 9.1 × 10³, M_w/M_n = 1.48), more so than xanthate 1 (M_n = 10.0 × 10³, M_w/M_n = 1.89) under same condition, with accompanied stable emulsions produced. In the M_n versus conversion plot, M_n increased linearly as a function of conversion. We also performed seed‐emulsion polymerization using poly(nonamethylene L ‐tartrate) as the chiral polyester seed to fabricate emulsions with core‐shell structures. The control of polymer molecular weight and emulsion stability, as well as stereoregularity, is also discussed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Radical and cationic polymerizations of 3‐ethyl‐3‐methacryloyloxymethyloxetane

3‐Ethyl‐3‐methacryloyloxymethyloxetane (EMO) was easily polymerized by dimethyl 2,2′‐azobisisobutyrate (MAIB) as the radical initiator through the opening of the vinyl group. The initial polymerization rate (R_p) at 50 °C in benzene was given by R_p = k[MAIB]^0.55 [EMO]^1.2. The overall activation energy of the polymerization was estimated to be 87 kJ/mol. The number‐average molecular weight (M?_n) of the resulting poly(EMO)s was in the range of 1–3.3 × 10⁵. The polymerization system was found to involve electron spin resonance (ESR) observable propagating poly(EMO) radicals under practical polymerization conditions. ESR‐determined rate constants of propagation (k_p) and termination (k_t) at 60 °C are 120 and 2.41 × 10⁵ L/mol s, respectively—much lower than those of the usual methacrylate esters such as methyl methacrylate and glycidyl methacrylate. The radical copolymerization of EMO (M₁) with styrene (M₂) at 60 °C gave the following copolymerization parameters: r₁ = 0.53, r₂ = 0.43, Q₁ = 0.87, and e₁ = +0.42. EMO was also observed to be polymerized by BF₃OEt₂ as the cationic initiator through the opening of the oxetane ring. The M?_n of the resulting polymer was in the range of 650–3100. The cationic polymerization of radically formed poly(EMO) provided a crosslinked polymer showing distinguishably different thermal behaviors from those of the radical and cationic poly(EMO)s. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 1269–1279, 2001     

Polymerization of vinyl chloride by the Ti(O-n-Bu)4–AlEt3–epichlorohydrin catalyst system

The polymerization of vinyl chloride was carried out by using a catalyst system consisting of Ti(O-n-Bu)₄, AlEt₃, and epichlorohydrin. The polymerization rate and the reduced viscosity of polymer were influenced by the polymerization temperature, AlEt₃/Ti(O-n-Bu)₄ molar ratios, and epichlorohydrin/Ti(O-n-Bu)₄ molar ratios. The reduced viscosity of polymer obtained in the virtual absence of n-heptane as solvent was two to three times as high as that of polymer obtained in the presence of n-heptane. The crystallinity of poly(vinyl chloride) thus obtained was similar to that of poly(vinyl chloride) produced by a radical catalyst. It was concluded that the polymerization of vinyl chloride by the present catalyst system obeys a radical mechanism rather than a coordinated anionic mechanism.     

Polymerization of n-Octylallene with Rare Earth Catalyst Composed of Ln(P204)3/Al(i-Bu)3

Polymerization of n‐octylallene was successfully carried out using a conventional binary rare earth catalytic system composed of rare earth tris(2‐ethylhexylphosphonate) (Ln(P₂₀₄)₃) and tri‐isobutyl aluminum (Al(i‐Bu)₃) for the first time. The effects of catalyst, solvent, reaction time and temperature on the polymerization of n‐octylallene were studied. The resulting poly(n‐octylallene) has weight‐average molecular weight of 11000, molecular weight distribution of 1.4 and 96% yield under the moderate reaction conditions: [Al]/[Y] =50 (molar ratio), [n‐octylallene]/[Y] =100 (molar ratio), polymerized at 80°C for 20 h in bulk. The poly(n‐octylallene) obtained consisted of 1,2‐ and 2,3‐polymerized units, and was characterized by FT‐IR, ¹H NMR and GPC. Further investigation shows that the polymerization of n‐octylallene has some living polymerization characteristics, preparing the polymer with controlled molecular weight and narrower molecular weight distribution.     

Ring‐opening polymerization of lipoic acid and characterization of the polymer

Thermal polymerization of DL ‐α‐lipoic acid (LPA) in bulk without any initiator proceeded easily above the melting point of LPA. The molecular weight polymer determined by GPC was high. From the ¹H NMR spectra of polymers, poly(LPA) obtained from polymerization of high purity LPA was to consist of cyclic structures, which was confirmed by ESI‐MS. Interlocked polymer consisting of poly(LPA) and dibenzo‐30‐crown‐10 entangled with each other was synthesized by the polymerization of LPA in the presence of dibenzo‐30‐crown‐10. From the DSC analysis of the polymers, glass transition temperature was estimated to be about ?11 °C, but melting point was not observed, indicating that poly(LPA) is an amorphous polymer. By photodecomposition of poly(LPA), M_n was rapidly decreased at the early stage of the decomposition. After that, the M_n of the polymer kept and then was almost constant even for a prolonged reaction time. On the basis of the results, it would be presumed that poly (LPA) obtained form polymerization of high purity LPA includes an interlocked structure. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

Polymerization of [o-(trimethylgermyl)phenyl] acetylene and polymer characterization

[o-(Trimethylgermyl)phenyl]acetylene was polymerized in the presence of WCl₆, W(CO)₆-hv, etc., to give polymers whose weight-average molecular weights reached ca. 7.0 X 10⁵ at the highest. When the MoOCl₄-n-Bu₄Sn-EtOH (1 : 1 : 1) catalyst was used, the polydispersity ratio of the polymer obtained was 1.08, and the number-average molecular weight increased in direct proportion to monomer conversion; these indicate that this polymerization is a living polymerization. The polymer had the structure ? [CH?C(C₆H₄-o-GeMe₃)]_n ? and was a dark purple solid (λ_max = 551 nm, ε_max = 6100 M^-1 cm^-1 in THF) soluble in organic solvents such as toluene and chloroform. The onset temperature of weight loss of the polymer in TGA in air was ca. 230°C, and the glass transition temperature was above 180°C. The Po₂ of the present polymer is 105 barrers—larger than the value of natural rubber and fairly close to that of poly(dimethylsiloxane). © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Dithiadiazolium salts as initiators for the cationic ring-opening polymerization of tetrahydrofuran

Mono-, bis- and tris-(1,3,2,4-dithiadiazolium) salts [R-(CNSNS ⁺)_n]_n+[AsF^-₆]_n (R = aryl, n = 1, 2, 3) were found to initiate the cationic ring-opening polymerization of tetrahydrofuran (THF) at room temperature to give clear gels from which the pure polymer was precipitated. 1,3,2,4-Dithiadiazolium cations associated with the hard [AsF₆]^- anion thus constitute a new class of cationic polymerization initiators. The poly(THF) formed by initiation with 1,3,2,4-dithiadiazolium cation was characterized by gel permeation chromatography, infrared spectrophotometry, and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy. Number-average molecular weights of 198 700 g mol^-1 (polydispersity 1.96) and 190 000 g mol^-1 (polydispersity 1.61) were obtained using [PhCNSNS ] [AsF₆] and [C₆H₃-1,3,5-(CNSNS )₃][AsF₆]₃, respectively, as initiators. The use of multifunctional dithiadiazolium salts as initiators suggests that they may be useful in the preparation of starburst and dendritic polymers. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.