Heterobimetallic polymers with pendant metallocenes: Correlating metallopolymer structures with properties

Abstract

The integration of two different organometallic centers in the predetermined sites of polymer structure is of particular interest. As the complexity of heterobimetallic polymer structure grows, an understanding of their structure–property relationships remains unclear. In this work, metallocene (i.e., ferrocene and ruthenocene) are the examples to be attached as pendant groups adjacent to the polymer backbone, where simple mononuclear metallic homopolymers have given rise to heterobimetallic homopolymers, random, and block copolymers by using living ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). The photophysical, thermal, and electrochemical properties of these polymers are tuned by the distribution of metal atoms along the polymer chain while retaining their important metal functionalities.