Living, chain-growth methods for synthesizing conjugated polymers have the potential to access to new materials with varying sequences, lengths and end-groups. In practice, however, expanding these methods to structurally complex monomers has been limited. One reason is that the polymerization mechanism relies on the catalyst to reliably ring-walk over the p-system without undergoing unproductive pathways (e.g., trapping, insertion or dissociation). Recently, we have begun identifying the most significant unproductive pathways using the computational methods. This information is then used to play “matchmaker” by designing a specific metal/ligand combination that can bypass the unproductive pathways. This approach, as well as applications of the new materials that can now be accessed, will be highlighted in this talk.

Matchmaking in catalyst-transfer polymerization

2019 Spring National Meeting

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