Due to equilibrium polymerization thermodynamics, low ring-strain cycloalkenes, such as cyclopentenes, require lower temperatures to achieve high conversions through ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). As a result of this requirement, many common ruthenium-based ROMP catalysts suffer a reduced performance in initiation kinetics at these lower temperatures: leading to higher dispersities and molar masses higher than theoretical. Furthermore, deleterious effects to sample dispersity from rate of cross-metathesis is also sensitive to temperature. We will discuss our findings that careful manipulation of the reaction conditions throughout a ROMP can overcome these limitations to afford both high conversion and low dispersity while retaining molar masses that are close to targeted. This universal approach is then shown to be applicable to other low ring-strain monomers.

Variable temperature ROMP: Achieving targeted molar mass and low dispersities from low ring-strain monomers

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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