Birefringence control by hydrogen bonding on compatible polymer pair composed of hydrogenated ring‐opening polymer and modified polystyrene

A new polymer blend composed of a hydrogenated ring‐opening polymer (HROP) with an ester group and hydroxyl functionalized polystyrene (HFP) produced the excellent transparent materials which enabled a precise birefringence control in keeping with the other physical properties for optical film use. The blend with a composition from 0.28 to 0.35 for the HFP weight fraction showed an extraordinary wavelength dispersion, transmitting through a zero birefringence point at the critical fraction of 0.45, while each polymer showed an ordinary wavelength dispersion. The observed excellent transparency even above those of the glass transition temperature was attributed to a depressed phase separation that resulted from strong hydrogen bond between the ester and hydroxyl groups. An IR analysis of the film demonstrated a remarkable red‐shift in the carbonyl peak with an increase of the hydroxylated polystyrene content, indicating a strong hydrogen bond between those groups. This new polymer blend provides a useful design to achieve practical demands for film use, both optical and mechanical under the fabrication conditions using the melt extrusion technique. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 3132–3143     

Synthesis of homopolymers and multiblock copolymers by the living ring‐opening metathesis polymerization of norbornenes containing acetyl‐protected carbohydrates with well‐defined ruthenium and molybdenum initiators

The ring‐opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of norbornenes containing acetyl‐protected glucose [2,3,4,6‐tetra‐O‐acetyl‐glucos‐1‐O‐yl 5‐norbornene‐2‐carboxylate ( 1 )] and maltose [2,3,6,2′,3′,4′,6′‐hepta‐O‐acetyl‐maltos‐1‐O‐yl 5‐norbornene‐2‐carboxylate ( 2 )] was explored in the presence of Mo(N‐2,6‐ⁱPr₂C₆H₃)(CHCMe₂Ph)(O^tBu)₂ ( A ), Ru(CHPh)(Cl)₂(PCy₃)₂ ( B ; Cy = cyclohexyl), and Ru(CHPh)(Cl)₂(IMesH₂)(PCy₃) ( C ; IMesH₂ = 1,3‐dimesityl‐4,5‐dihydromidazol‐2‐ylidene). The polymerizations promoted by B and A proceeded in a living fashion with exclusive initiation efficiency, and the resultant polymers possessed number‐average molecular weights that were very close to those calculated on the basis of the monomer/initiator molar ratios and narrow molecular weight distributions (weight‐average molecular weight/number‐average molecular weight < 1.18) in all cases. The observed catalytic activity of B was strongly dependent on both the initial monomer concentration and the solvent employed, whereas the polymerization initiated with A was completed efficiently even at low initial monomer concentrations. The polymerization with C also took place efficiently, and even the polymerization with 1000 equiv of 1 was completed within 2 h. First‐order relationships between the propagation rates and the monomer concentrations were observed for all the polymerization runs, and the estimated rate constants at 25 °C increased in the following order: A > C > B . On the basis of these results, we concluded that ROMP with A was more suitable than ROMP with B or C for the efficient and precise preparation of polymers containing carbohydrates. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 4248–4265, 2004     

Asymmetric Total Synthesis of Stagonolide G

A simple asymmetric total synthesis of stagonolide G ( 1 ) is described. Asymmetric dihydroxylation, regioselective epoxide ring opening, and vinyl Grignard reactions are involved in generating the stereogenic centers C(4) and C(8), followed by Grubbs‐II‐catalyzed ring‐closing metathesis (RCM).     

Ruthenium‐incorporated,metathesis‐active polyacetylene

Two olefin metathesis methods have been developed for the preparation of metal‐incorporated polyacetylene (MIPA) with high levels of covalently attached ruthenium complex. Treatment of freshly prepared, porous polyacetylene (PA) formed by polymerization of acetylene by the metathesis catalyst (H₂IMes)RuCl₂(?CHPh)(3‐bromopyridine)₂ ( G2B ) with additional G2B resulted in the incorporation of the ruthenium complex into the solid polymer in levels up to 75% by mass, giving two‐step MIPA (MIPA2). Alternatively, single‐step MIPA (MIPA1) samples with similar levels (up to 79% by mass) of ruthenium incorporation were obtained by polymerization of acetylene with highly concentrated solutions of G2B , and the resulting materials formed fine suspensions in CH₂Cl₂. A variety of experiments confirmed that both the methods give materials with ruthenium covalently attached to PA chains. Shiny, tough MIPA films were obtained by pressing the black powders obtained by either method. Some MIPA properties were dependent on the amount of metal incorporation, but even samples with high incorporation levels mimicked untreated PA in many respects. MIPA1, but not MIPA2, was made electrically conductive by doping with iodine. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 1061–1072, 2009