Living Alkene Polymerization for Polyolefin Architectures

Abstract

One of the ultimate challenges in polymer chemistry is the development of new synthetic methods for the polymerization of a wide range of monomers to produce polymers with well-defined stereochemistry, while controlling molecular weight and molecular-weight distribution. A primary goal of synthetic polymer chemistry over the last half-century has been the development of chain-growth polymerization methods that enable consecutive enchainment of monomer units without termination. These living polymerization systems allow precise molecular weight control as well as the synthesis of a wide array of polymer architectures. This review will primarily focus on living polymerization of terminal-alkenes with some coverage of nonconjugated dienes and cyclic olefins. Special attention will be paid to systems capable of producing complex architectures such as block, star and graft copolymers.