Renewable polymers derived from natural biomass have been witnessing an unremitting growth in academia as well as industry. Many natural chemicals including sugars, furans, lignin, plant oils and terpenes are exploited to produce renewable polymeric materials. Resin acids from pine trees are a class of promising biomass for polymer synthesis. However, the bulky tricyclic structure has been problematic in obtaining high molecular weight homopolymers with good mechanical properties. For the first time, we develop a robust method to prepare high molecular weight renewable homopolymers and block copolymers (BCPs) derived from resin acids via “living” Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization (ROMP). Using the living ROMP, homopolymer was chain extended with a soybean oil derived norbornene monomer to elaborate BCPs. These BCPs phase separate to produce hard and soft domains that show desirable properties for thermoplastic elastomer applications. References (1) Yao, K.; Tang C. Controlled Polymerization of Next-Generation Renewable Monomers and Beyond. Macromolecules, 2013, 46, 1689–1712 (2) Wilbon, P. A.; Chu, F.; Tang, C. Progress in Renewable Polymers from Natural Terpenes, Terpenoids, and Rosin. Macromol. Rapid Commun. 2013, 34, 8−37 (3) Zheng Y.; Yao K.; Lee J. S.; Chandler D.; Wang J.; Wang C.; Chu F.; Tang C. Well-defined Renewable Polymers Derived from Gum Rosin, Macromolecules, 2010, 43, 5922-5924 (4) Liu, Y.; Yao, K.; Chen, X.; Wang, J.; Wang, Z.; Ploehn, H. J.; Wang, C.; Chu, F.; Tang, C. Sustainable Thermoplastic Elastomers Derived from Renewable Cellulose, Rosin and Fatty Acids. Polym. Chem. 2014, 5, 3170–3181

High molecular weight sustainable polymers and thermoplastic elastomers from resin acids via living ring-opening metathesis polymerization

251st National Meeting (2016)

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