Ring-opening metathesis polymerization of new alpha-norbornenyl poly(epsilon-caprolactone) macromonomers

Poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) macromonomers capped by a polymerizable no rbornene end-group have been synthesized and (co)polymerized by ring-openin g metathesis with formation of graft copolymers and polymacromonomers. alph a-Norbornenyl PCL macromonomers have been synthesized by ring opening polym erization (ROP) of epsilon-caprolactone (ECL) initiated by 2-diethylalumino xymethyl-5-norbornene. Copolymerization of these PCL macromonomers with nor bornene and polymerizable derivatives has been catalyzed by the [RuCl2(p-cy mene)](2) PCy3(trimethylsilyl)diazomethane complex yielding a series of pol y(norbornene)-graft-poly( epsilon-caprolactone) copolymers. These new graft . copolymers have been characterized by a set of analytical methods, i.e., SEC, H-1-NMR, FTIR, DSC, and TGA. Furthermore, PCL macromonomers have been polymerized into high molecular weight comb chains of narrow molecular weig ht distribution (M-w/M-n = 1.10) within high yields (90%). (C) 1999 John Wi ley & Sons. Inc.