The Polymer Society of Korea

Abstract

Polymer end groups are important chemical functionalities that can tune the polymer properties as well as diversify polymer structures through end-group modification or subsequent polymerization. Ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) is a versatile method for the polymerization of cyclic compounds containing C=C double bonds. In ROMP, various approaches such as the use of chain transfer agent (CTA) have been demonstrated to control end group functionalities. Although the hydroxyl end group is one of the most useful end groups, its incorporation in ROMP is often limited, as CTA containing hydroxyl groups are either difficult to use directly or require complex synthetic processes. Here, we employed ethylene glycol mono vinyl ether (EGVE) as a CTA in the ROMP of dihydrofuran (DHF) to tailor polymer chain end. By directly using this hydroxyl-CTA, we successfully functionalized the chain end with a hydroxyl group and controlled the molar mass of the resultant polymer.