Tandem Polymerization Research Articles

Reduction Polymerization of CO2 with Phenylene Silanes Catalyzed by Single Component B(C6F5)3.

CO2 is an abundant C1 resource but a green-house gas and chemically inert. Thus, its utilization has been a promising but challenging project. Herein, we report the unprecedented polymerization of CO2 and C6H4(SiMe2H)2 using B(C6F5)3 alone under mild conditions to give poly(silphenylene siloxane) accompanied by releasing CH4. The copolymerization can be extended to comonomers of phenylene silanes bearing functional groups. Moreover, it combines with Piers-Rubinsztajn reaction to establish a tandem polymerization system to achieve super thermal resistant poly(siloxane-co-silphenylene siloxane)s. Density functional theory reveals that B(C6F5)3 is activated by silanes to form free HB(C6F5)2, which is the true active species for CO2 reducing to borylformate, the rate controlling step of the polymerization procedure. The subsequent multiple reductions of borylformate to CH4 and the step-growth to poly(silphenylene siloxane)s can be fulfilled by both B(C6F5)3 and HB(C6F5)2, and the former shows a slightly higher activity. This work opens a new avenue of utilizing CO2 to fabricate polysiloxanes that is unable to access using current manners.

Reduction Polymerization of CO2 with Phenylene Silanes Catalyzed by Single Component B(C6F5)3

AbstractCO2 is an abundant C1 resource but a green‐house gas and chemically inert. Thus, its utilization has been a promising but challenging project. Herein, we report the unprecedented polymerization of CO2 and C6H4(SiMe2H)2 using B(C6F5)3 alone under mild conditions to give poly(silphenylene siloxane) accompanied by releasing CH4. The copolymerization can be extended to comonomers of phenylene silanes bearing functional groups. Moreover, it combines with Piers‐Rubinsztajn reaction to establish a tandem polymerization system to achieve super thermal resistant poly(siloxane‐co‐silphenylene siloxane)s. Density functional theory reveals that B(C6F5)3 is activated by silanes to form free HB(C6F5)2, which is the true active species for CO2 reducing to borylformate, the rate controlling step of the polymerization procedure. The subsequent multiple reductions of borylformate to CH4 and the step‐growth to poly(silphenylene siloxane)s can be fulfilled by both B(C6F5)3 and HB(C6F5)2, and the former shows a slightly higher activity. This work opens a new avenue of utilizing CO2 to fabricate polysiloxanes that is unable to access using current manners.

Tandem Olefin Metathesis Polymerization to Access Degradable and Recyclable Thermosets, Thermoplastics, and Elastomers

Tandem Olefin Metathesis Polymerization to Access Degradable and Recyclable Thermosets, Thermoplastics, and Elastomers

Cross-Linked Polyolefins through Tandem ROMP/Hydrogenation.

Cross-linked polyolefins have important advantages over their thermoplastic analogues, particularly improved impact strength and abrasion resistance, as well as increased chemical and thermal stability; however, most strategies for their production involve postpolymerization cross-linking of polyolefin chains. Here, a tandem ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP)/hydrogenation approach is presented. Cyclooctene (COE)-co-dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) networks are first synthesized using ROMP, after which the dispersed Ru metathesis catalyst is activated for hydrogenation through the addition of hydrogen gas. The reaction temperature for hydrogenation must be sufficiently high to allow mobility within the system, as dictated by thermal transitions (i.e., glass and melting transitions) of the polymeric matrix. COE-rich materials exhibit branched-polyethylene-like crystallinity (25% crystallinity) and melting points (Tm = 107 °C), as well as excellent ductility (>750% extension), while majority DCPD materials are glassy (Tg = 84 °C) and much stiffer (E = 710 MPa); all materials exhibit high tensile toughness. Importantly, hydrogenation of olefins in these cross-linked materials leads to notable improvements in oxidative stability, as saturated networks do not experience the same substantial degradation of mechanical performance as their unsaturated counterparts upon prolonged exposure to air.

CS2-based one-pot multicomponent tandem polymerization toward functional polybenzothiazoles

CS2-based one-pot three-component tandem polymerization.

What Can Industrial Catalytic Olefin Polymerization Plants Tell Us About Reaction Kinetics? From Production Rate and Residence Time to Catalyst Reaction Performance.

AbstractThe information available in daily plant operation data is not fully exploited by polymer reaction engineers: what do the catalytic olefin polymerization plants tell? In this article, a method is proposed to increase catalyst and process know‐how, based on experimentally acquired production rate results, coming from a continuous tandem reactor polymerization process. The polymer reaction engineering methodology is also discussed in detail for connecting the catalyst reaction performance to the expected activity profile and yield for batch operation, together with the residence time distribution effect for continuous operation. The potential of the proposed methodology is highlighted with a theoretical example and the effectiveness of the method is demonstrated with an applied example, accurately estimating deactivation parameter values for two catalysts based on plant information and, validated based on small‐scale polymerization experiments.

Shedding light on the poly(5‐ethylidene‐2‐norbornene) microstructural differences: Skeleton rearrangements during polymerization

AbstractHere, an attempt is made to study one of the less noticed aspects of the polymerization of 5‐ethylidene‐2‐norbornene (ENB) by nickel α‐diimine catalysts. Therefore, several (co)polymerization runs using MMAO‐activated binuclear catalyst (BNC) and mononuclear catalyst (MNC) were undertaken. Catalyst activities as high as 561.1 and 925.0 (kgpol mol−1Ni h−1) were observed for ENB polymerization by MNC and BNC, respectively. However, the utilization of comonomer (norbornene [NB]) led to a dramatic decline in the catalyst activities, reaching low levels of 69.4 and 144.4 (kgpol mol−1Ni h−1), respectively. Structural characterization (NMR and FTIR) corroborated the occurrence of ring opening via β‐C elimination and the subsequent β‐H elimination. Additionally, tandem transannular polymerization and ring‐opening metathesis polymerization of ENB were evidenced. The findings demonstrated that the transannular polymerization prevailed during the polymerization, albeit the MNC catalyst showed a higher contribution of ring opening via β‐C elimination. Importantly, comonomer (NB) was displayed to alter the governing polymerization mechanism. According to DMTA analysis, the structures of the monomer and catalyst were found to significantly influence the polymer damping behavior and microstructure heterogeneity. That is, the NB‐ENB copolymer obtained by MNC exhibited the lowest Tg value and highest tan δ along with the diminished microstructure heterogeneity.

Abstract 1447: Retinoic acid-induced 2 driven polymerization of c-terminal binding proteins sustains epithelial differentiation in castration-resistant prostate cancer

Abstract Previously, we found that increased Retinoic acid-induced 2 (RAI2) protein concentration in primary tumors predicts early biochemical relapse of prostate cancer patients and described a co-repressor function of RAI2 related to androgen receptor activity (1). The presence of a non-canonical tandem ALDLS motif on RAI2 protein prompted the present investigation on a possible role of a dual interaction of RAI2 with C-terminal binding proteins (CtBPs) in relation to prostate cancer progression. We analyzed RAI2 gene expression as well as CtBP1 protein localization and constitution in circulating tumors cells (CTCs) isolated from metastatic prostate cancer patients by semi-quantitative PCR analysis and immune-fluorescence staining. We employed an integrated structural biology approach combining biophysical techniques like isothermal calorimetry, circular dichroism, size exclusion chromatography with high-resolution structural biology techniques including X-ray crystallography and single particle cryo-electron microscopy. We established RAI2-depleted VCaP cells and used this model for validation of the obtained results. RAI2 gene expression is significantly increased in CTCs isolated from patients with castration-resistant disease in comparison to CTCs isolated from patients with hormone-sensitive, aggressive or neuroendocrine variant prostate cancer. We detected CtBP1 protein foci in the nuclei of individual CTCs. We show that RAI2 induces CtBP polymerization. Using single particle cryo-electron microscopy, we obtained crucial insights into the structural organization of this filament. RAI2 inactivation in VCaP cells caused a significant reduction of both CtBP proteins, which is accompanied by the disappearance of CtBP protein aggregates in nuclei. In addition, we observed the induction of neuroendocrine features, marked by the induction of Synaptophysin and Chromogranin A, a higher nucleus to cytoplasm ratio and smaller cell size of RAI2-depleted cells. In summary, we report tandem motifs-induced polymerization of CtBP’s for the first time. We found that elevated RAI2 gene expression is a characteristic of castration-resistant prostate cancer. Because RAI2 depletion resulted in loss of CtBP aggregates and the induction of neuroendocrine traits, we conclude that RAI2-driven CtBP polymerization sustains epithelial differentiation in castration-resistant prostate cancer. These findings holds potential for the diagnosis of castration-resistant disease and inhibiting the progression from castration-resistant to neuroendocrine prostate cancer. 1. Besler K, Weglarz A, Keller L, von Amsberg G, Bednarz-Knoll N, Offermann A, et al. Expression Patterns and Corepressor Function of Retinoic Acid-induced 2 in Prostate Cancer. Clin Chem 2022;68:973-83 Citation Format: Stefan Werner, Nishit Goradia, Edukondalu Mullapudi, Lina Merkens, Sarah Greimeier, Aleksandra Węglarz, Gunhild von Amsberg, Harriet Wikman, Klaus Pantel, Matthias Wilmanns. Retinoic acid-induced 2 driven polymerization of c-terminal binding proteins sustains epithelial differentiation in castration-resistant prostate cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 1447.

Unexpected Direct Synthesis of Tunable Redox-Active Benzil-Linked Polymers via the Benzoin Reaction.

Strategies for the sustainable synthesis of redox-active organic polymers could lead to next-generation organic electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage, electrocatalysis, and electro-swing chemical separations. Among redox-active moieties, benzils or aromatic 1,2-diones are particularly attractive due to their high theoretical gravimetric capacities and fast charge/discharge rates. Herein, we demonstrate that the cyanide-catalyzed polymerization of simple dialdehyde monomers unexpectedly leads to insoluble redox-active benzil-linked polymers instead of the expected benzoin polymers, as supported by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and electrochemical characterization. Mechanistic studies suggest that cyanide-mediated benzoin oxidation occurs by hydride transfer to the solvent, and that the insolubility of the benzil-linked polymers protects them from subsequent cyanolysis. The thiophene-based polymer poly(BTDA) is an intriguing organic electrode material that demonstrates two reversible one-electron reductions with monovalent cations such as Li+ and Na+ but one two-electron reduction with divalent Mg2+. As such, the tandem benzoin-oxidation polymerization reported herein represents a sustainable method for the synthesis of highly tunable and redox-active organic materials.

Catalyst‐Free Multicomponent Tandem Polymerizations of Aliphatic Amines, Activated Alkyne, and Formaldehyde toward Poly(tetrahydropyrimidine)s

AbstractPoly(tetrahydropyrimidine)s are promising heterocyclic polymers with unique biocompatibility, antibacterial ability, inherent fluorescence property, and so on, whose development is limited by their synthetic approaches. Multicomponent polymerizations (MCPs) are a group of powerful tools for the facile construction of heterocyclic polymers from simple monomers. Herein, a catalyst‐free multicomponent tandem polymerization of aliphatic diamines, activated alkyne, and formaldehyde was developed at 60 °C in methanol in air to construct poly(tetrahydropyrimidine)s with well‐defined structures, high molecular weights (Mw up to 57700 g mol−1), high yields (up to 84%), and satisfactory thermal stability. The MCP was featured with commercially available monomers, high efficiency, catalyst‐free economic and mild condition, which was applicable to aliphatic diamines with complicated chemical reactivity, providing a robust and efficient approach for the synthesis of diversified heterocyclic polymers such as poly(tetrahydropyrimidine)s.

Alkali-Promoted Tandem Polymerization of Nucleophilic Acetylide Monomers and Aldehydes toward Luminescent Polymeric Materials

Alkyne-based polymerizations have been an invaluable tool for the preparation of functional polymers. In the reported polymerizations, alkynes generally function as electrophilic monomers. Theoretically, ethynyl groups of monomers could also be used as nucleophiles, and the polymerization using an ethynyl group as the nucleophile should be developed further. In this work, a potassium tert-butoxide (t-BuOK)-promoted tandem polymerization of aromatic diynes and commercially available benzaldehyde, in which ethynyl groups were used as nucleophiles, was successfully developed. Under optimized conditions, this polymerization could produce polymers with good solubility, well-defined structures, high-weight-averaged molecular weights (Mw, up to 76,000), and yields up to 93% in as short as 15 min at room temperature. Moreover, thanks to their ethynyl vinyl carbinol moieties, the resultant polymers show the interesting luminescent property, and some are aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-active. Thus, the nucleophilic alkyne-based cascade polymerization not only provides a powerful tool for the preparation of functional polymers but also might inspire innovation in the area of polymer chemistry.

The synthesis and properties research of functionalized polyolefins

This work demonstrated a tandem ROMP/hydrogenation approach for the preparation of functionalized polyolefins and their properties were investigated.

Tandem polymerization consisting of cyclotrimerization and the Tishchenko reaction: synthesis of acid- and alkali-degradable polymers with cyclic acetal and ester structures in the main chain

Tandem polymerization consisting of cyclotrimerization and the Tishchenko reaction was developed, which yielded acid- and alkali-degradable polymers.

From Impossible to Possible: Atom‐Economic Polymerization of Low Strain Five‐Membered Carbonates

AbstractThe direct ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of propylene carbonate (PC) only affords oligomers with substantial unidentified by‐products, which hinders the efficient utilization of PC. Through detailed studies, for the first time, a careful mechanism involving the in situ release of propylene oxide (PO) from PC decarboxylation is proposed. Further, we report a novel strategy of copolymerization of PC/cyclic anhydrides via in situ capture of the formed intermediates. Results show that PC is successfully transformed into polyesters. Especially for the ring‐opening alternating copolymerization (ROAC) of PC/phthalic anhydride (PA), a variety of advantages are manifold: i) slow‐release of PO ensuring a perfectly alternating structure; ii) quantitative and fast transformation of PC; iii) visualization of polymerization process by a CO2 pressure gauge. Of importance, through tandem polymerizations, PC is fully transformed into polyesters and polycarbonates concurrently, thus achieving PC utilization with a high atom‐economy.

From Impossible to Possible: Atom-Economic Polymerization of Low Strain Five-Membered Carbonates.

The direct ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of propylene carbonate (PC) only affords oligomers with substantial unidentified by-products, which hinders the efficient utilization of PC. Through detailed studies, for the first time, a careful mechanism involving the in situ release of propylene oxide (PO) from PC decarboxylation is proposed. Further, we report a novel strategy of copolymerization of PC/cyclic anhydrides via in situ capture of the formed intermediates. Results show that PC is successfully transformed into polyesters. Especially for the ring-opening alternating copolymerization (ROAC) of PC/phthalic anhydride (PA), a variety of advantages are manifold: i) slow-release of PO ensuring a perfectly alternating structure; ii) quantitative and fast transformation of PC; iii) visualization of polymerization process by a CO2 pressure gauge. Of importance, through tandem polymerizations, PC is fully transformed into polyesters and polycarbonates concurrently, thus achieving PC utilization with a high atom-economy.

Ruthenium-alkylidene Initiated Cyclopolymerization and Tandem Ringopening/ Ring-closing Metathesis (RO/RCM) Polymerization: Facile Access to Cycloolefin-based Polymers

Synthesis of cycloolefin-based polymers via metathesis-accompanied cyclopolymerization and tandem Ring-Opening/Ring-Closing Metathesis (RO/RCM) polymerization are undergoing exciting developments and emerging as an area of great interest in the field of polymer synthesis. Among the conventional polymerization techniques, both cyclopolymerization and tandem polymerization give access to highly functional cycloolefin ring-based polymers. This review provides an overview of the synthesis of such cycloolefin-based conjugated and non-conjugated polymers following cyclopolymerization and tandem RO/RCM polymerization methodologies.

Access to Highly Stereodefined 1,4-cis-Polydienes by a [Ni/Mg] Orthogonal Tandem Catalytic Polymerization.

A [Ni/Mg]-catalyzed orthogonal tandem polymerization has been developed starting from enol phosphates. Initial investigations conducted on branched 1,3-dienes as monomers enabled identification of a Mg-initiated polymerization process leading to 1,4-cis-polydienes. When aryl enol phosphates are used as monomers, the [Ni/Mg]-catalyzed tandem polymerization affords 1,4-cis-polydienes with selectivities up to 99%. Elastomeric or crystalline materials were obtained by simple structural modifications of the monomeric unit. This tandem approach appears as a straightforward and efficient way to enforce diversity and selectivity in diene polymerization while retaining a fair degree of control, just as observed for stepwise systems that are accessible through established time- and manpower-consuming synthetic procedures.

Synthesis of Bio-Based Aliphatic Polyesters from Plant Oils by Efficient Molecular Catalysis: A Selected Survey from Recent Reports

Recent development in efficient synthesis of (unsaturated) 1,ω-fatty acid diesters (and the diols), which can be used as monomers for synthesis of long chain aliphatic polyesters, especially by Pd-catalyzed isomerization alkoxycarbonylation, Ru-catalyzed olefin metathesis (self-metathesis and cross metathesis), and the tandem olefin metathesis and the ester hydrogenation from plant oils (unsaturated fatty acid esters such as methyl oleate, methyl linoleate, etc.) have been summarized. Recent development for synthesis of (semicrystalline) long chain aliphatic polyesters by polycondensation of 1,ω-dicarboxylic acids and the diols, dehydrogenation polycondensation of the diols or carbonylation polycondensation of the ω-alken-1-ol, and acyclic diene metathesis (ADMET) polymerization of nonconjugated 1,ω-diene (and the tandem ADMET polymerization and hydrogenation system for synthesis of saturated polyester) have also been reviewed. Depolymerization of these long chain aliphatic polyesters was also demonstrated (by olefin metathesis, treatment with alcohols, etc.). Catalyst development for these reactions (more active, under mild conditions) plays a key role in efficient synthesis.

Tandem diaza-Cope rearrangement polymerization: turning intramolecular reaction into powerful polymerization to give enantiopure materials for Zn2+ sensors.

[3,3]-Sigmatropic rearrangement is a powerful reaction to form C–C bonds stereospecifically; however, owing to intrinsic simultaneous bond formation and breakage, this versatile method has not been utilized in polymerization. Herein, we report a new tandem diaza-Cope rearrangement polymerization (DCRP) that can synthesize polymers with defect-free C–C bond formation from easy and efficient imine formation. A mechanistic investigation by in situ1H NMR experiments suggests that this polymerization proceeds by a rapid DCR process, forming an enantiospecific C–C bond that occurs almost simultaneously with imine formation. This polymerization produces not only highly stable polymers against hydrolysis due to resonance-assisted hydrogen bonds (RAHBs) but also chiral polymers containing enantiopure salen moieties, which lead to high-performance Zn2+-selective turn-on chemosensors with up to 73-fold amplification. We also found that their optical activities and sensing performances are heavily dependent on the reaction temperature, which significantly affects the stereoselectivity of DCR.

Polyolefin/Polyether Alternated Copolymers: Silyl-Modified Polymers as Promising Monocomponent Precursors to Adhesives

α,ω-Bis(trialkoxysilyl) telechelic polyether/polyolefin copolymers were synthesized and evaluated as monocomponent adhesive precursors. The Ru-catalyzed tandem ring-opening insertion-metathesis polymerization (ROIMP) and cross-metathesis (CM) reactions in the presence of a bis(trialkoxysilyl)alkene as chain-transfer agent (CTA) were first explored toward the synthesis of such silyl-modified polymers (SMPs). The one-pot, two-step ROIMP/CM of cyclooctene (COE) and poly(propyleneglycol) diacrylate (PPG(*)) with {(EtO)3Si(CH2)3NHC(O)OCH2CH═}2 (CTAEt) catalyzed by Grubb’s second generation catalyst (Method II) successfully enables the preparation of α,ω-[(EtO)3Si]2-PCOE/PPG(*) alternated copolymers, isolated in 10–100 g. The polyether/polyolefin copolymers were thoroughly characterized by SEC, 1D and 2D NMR, and FTIR spectroscopies and mass spectrometry analyses. The good thermal stability and rheofluidifying profile of the PCOE/PPG* copolymers are maintained following their catalyzed moisture-curing, as revealed by TGA, DSC, and rheology. The corresponding siloxane cross-linked copolymers then demonstrate strain-at-break, elongation-at-break, and wood-adhesion properties greater than those of the benchmarked SMP reference from Bostik, namely, Polyvest E100 (strain-at-break on wood up to 4.0 vs 2.6 MPa, respectively). These characteristics can be tuned according to the PCOE/PPG* ratio and also revealed significantly better than the ones of our previously reported alike siloxane cross-linked PCOE/PPG* copolymers similarly prepared, yet from a one-pot, one-step ROIMP/CM approach (Method I). Such polyolefin/polyether monocomponent SMPs are thus promising adhesive precursors.