Cyclobutenyl macromonomers: Synthetic strategies and ring-opening metathesis polymerization

In contrast to their (oxa)norbornenyl counterparts, cyclobutenyl derivatives have remained relatively unexplored in ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP), despite ROMP of cyclobutene derivatives yields unsaturated polymers based on a strictly 1,4-polybutadiene backbone that is not easily attainable by other routes. This article summarizes work done in our group in the field of cyclobutenyl-capped macromonomers that are convenient building blocks for the synthesis of graft (bottle-brush) copolymers by ROMP via the so-called macromonomer (or grafting-through) route. Synthetic strategies employing orthogonal chemistries such as reversible deactivation radical polymerization techniques (atom transfer radical polymerization – ATRP, and reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfert (RAFT) polymerization) and recent developments using copper-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition click chemistry are highlighted. Furthermore, ROMP of the so-obtained macromonomers, including preliminary novel results regarding ROMP of cyclobutenyl-capped macromonomers prepared through RAFT polymerization and click chemistry are reported and discussed.