Biopolymers, such as proteins and DNA, demonstrate how a defined polymer sequence can lead to exquisite functions such as catalysis, molecular recognition, and data storage. Likewise, control of primary structure has far reaching possibilities for the future of synthetic polymers, but methodologies for their preparation remain limited. In this poster, a general strategy for the synthesis of sequence-defined polymers is detailed that uses relay metathesis to promote the ring-opening polymerization of unstrained macrocycles. The short, scalable and practical synthesis of a small molecule polymerization trigger allows for facile sequence incorporation and enables the controlled, unidirectional polymerization of the macrocyclic monomers. Using this system, a diverse range of functionality can be incorporated into the polymer backbone with high levels of control over molecular weight and molecular weight distribution.

General strategy for sequence-controlled polymerization using macrocyclic ROMP

251st National Meeting (2016)

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