Recent developments in the synthesis of fluorinated homopolymers and block copolymers via living ring opening metathesis polymerisation

A wide range of fluorinated norbomenes and norbomadienes are subjected to ROMP using well-defined Schrock initiator based on Mo(CH-t-Bu)(NAr)(O-t-Bu)(2). All of the polymerisations show characteristics of well-ordered living systems; e.g. (a) the persistence of propagating alkylidenes in the polymerisation mixtures as observed by H-1 nmr spectroscopy, (b) narrow molecular weight distributions of the resultants polymers and (c) the synthesis of diblock copolymers. Diblock fluorinated copolymers incorporating segments of the homopolymers of a wide range of fluorinated norbomenes and norbomadienes monomers are synthesised by sequential addition. The block copolymers also show narrow molecular weight distribution. The fluorinated homopolymers and block copolymers described here are characterised using C-13, F-19, and H-1 nmr spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and gel permeation chromatography.