Large-scale synthesis of cyclic vinyl polymers by a ring-expansion polymerization

本文研究了用扩环聚合法高效、大规模合成环状乙烯基聚合物的方法。合成了含有可能促进活性自由基聚合的功能单元的环状化合物。研究了乙烯基单体，即苯乙烯或甲基丙烯酸甲酯与这些环状化合物在不同条件下的聚合反应，并对所得聚合物进行了表征。虽然得到了环状聚合物，但在聚合过程中发生了分子间反应，得到了较大的环状产物作为主要产物。所得到的环状聚合物，具有多个聚合位点，将用于一种新的合成多嵌段聚合物。

In this research an efficient and large-scale synthesis of cyclic vinyl polymers by using a ring-expansion polymerization process was investigated. Cyclic compounds containing a functional unit that has potential to promote living radical polymerization were synthesized. Polymerizations of vinyl monomers, i.e., styrene or methyl methacrylate, with these cyclic compounds were investigated under various conditions and the obtained polymers were characterized. Although cyclic polymers were obtained, an intermolecular reaction was occurred during the polymerization to give larger ring-size products as a major product. The obtained cyclic polymers, having plural polymerization sites, will be used for a novel synthesis of multi-block polymers.