Abstract

Acyclic diene metathesis polymerization (ADMET) has taken a long path from its beginnings with Schrock catalyst and unfunctionalized dienes to use of Grubbs catalysts with nearly unlimited choices for pendant groups and chain composition. This review covers synthesis of model linear polyethylene via ADMET polymerization, synthesis of polymers from green feed stocks, and the effect of spacer length on morphology and polymer properties. By taking advantage of ADMET’s functional group tolerance, it can be used in conjunction with a variety of other organic transformations and in-chain functional groups to yield unique architectures and properties. These topics will demonstrate the utility of ADMET in the future of polymer science.

Keywords: ADMET, metathesis, catalyst, renewable feed stocks, ionomers, conjugated materials, specialty polymers.