Directed dihydroxylation of a poly(cyclooctadienol) toward densely-hydroxylated polyol adhesives

Adhesives play an important role in an array of industries, including construction, medicine, paper products, and more. Specialty applications are expanding and evolving to require more niche adhesives to suit unique needs. In one of its many applications, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) serves as a water-soluble adhesive; yet, PVA's adhesive ability is ultimately constrained by its fixed degree of hydroxylation and head-to-tail construction. In this work, we synthesize a water-soluble polyol that features a higher density of hydroxylation than PVA and exhibits thermal and adhesive properties comparable to PVA and Elmer's® clear glue. We do so via catalytic dihydroxylation of a polybutadiene derivative formed via ring-opening metathesis polymerization of a cyclooctadiene with a single allylic alcohol. Notably, such global catalytic dihydroxylation relies on allylic and homoallylic hydroxyl moieties as directing groups, and as such, could not previously be implemented in the context of unfunctionalized polybutadiene. Hence, this work provides an alternative entry to polyols with high alcohol group content toward water-soluble specialty adhesives.