Branched Polymers via ROMP of Termimers

Today's olefin metathesis catalysts show high reactivity, selectivity and functional group tolerance and allow the design of new syntheses of precisely functionalised polymers. Here we investigate the synthesis of a new end-capping reagent allowing the introduction of a highly reactive activated ester end-group at the polymer chain end as well as its prefunctionalization to directly introduce functional moieties. The versatility of this new endcapping reagent is demonstrated by utilizing it to synthesize a so-called termimer (a monomer with termination capabilities). Copolymerization of a norbornene derivative with the termimer lead to hyperbranched ROMP polymers as proven by GPC and MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry.