New ROMP Synthesis of Ferrocenyl Dendronized Polymers

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Organometallic Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Dendronized polymers offer unique properties due to their branched architecture.
• Ferrocene-containing polymers are of interest for redox-active applications.
• Norbornene monomers are suitable for ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP).

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize first- and second-generation Percec-type dendronized ferrocenyl norbornene macromonomers.
• To investigate the ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of these macromonomers.
• To analyze the influence of dendron generation on polymerization kinetics and ferrocene content.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of dendronized ferrocenyl norbornene macromonomers.
• Ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) using Grubbs' third-generation catalyst.
• Cyclic voltammetry and Bard-Anson method for ferrocene quantification.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized first- and second-generation dendronized macromonomers with three and nine ferrocenyl termini, respectively.
• Achieved controlled ROMP with near-quantitative monomer conversions across various monomer/catalyst ratios.
• Polymerization rates were significantly influenced by the dendron generation of the macromonomers.

Conclusions:

• Dendron generation is a critical factor in controlling the ROMP of ferrocenyl norbornene macromonomers.
• The synthesized polymers possess predictable ferrocene content, confirmed by electrochemical methods.
• This work provides a pathway for creating well-defined redox-active dendronized polymers.