Aqueous Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization for Water-Soluble Polymer Materials

Aqueous ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) has been recognized as an environmentally friendly and promising approach for synthesizing water-soluble polymer materials. However, the inevitable decomposition of Grubbs catalysts in aqueous media restricts aqueous ROMP with a low synthetic efficacy and poor control. Over the past few decades, substantial progress has been made in understanding the mechanisms behind catalyst decomposition in aqueous solution. Building on these insights, several advanced aqueous ROMP strategies have been developed, significantly facilitating the preparation of water-soluble polymer materials, including topological polymers, nanostructured polymer nano-objects, and polymer-protein bioconjugates. Encouragingly, these strategies have significantly lowered the barrier for researchers lacking a catalyst synthesis background, making aqueous ROMP a more accessible and user-friendly route to such materials. This Viewpoint focuses on the mechanisms of catalyst decomposition, highlights representative cases of aqueous ROMP from the past decade, and discusses the future prospects for this promising field.