Acyclic hyperbranched polymers

MS can be used to characterize hyperbranched polymers and dendrimers, since it is able to discriminate between acyclic and cyclic hyperbranched polymer chains, and it enables the investigator to follow the various stages of dendrimer growfh. ... 

The role of cyclization in hyperbranched polymers was also investigated. Cyclization in hyperbranched pentafluorophenyl-terminated poly(benzyl ether)s was indicated by the presence of ions at 20 Da less than the masses of acyclic species, owing to the loss of the HF chain ends during polymerization. ... 

Another method to create new materials from polymerized plant oils is though acyclic triene metathesis (ATMET) polymerization. In this process, hyper-branched polymers are created beginning with a triglyceride that contains three alkene bonds. These hyperbranched polymers can display different physical attributes, such as lower viscosity and increased solubihty, when compared to their linear analogs. 

To obtain a branched polymer, acyclic triene metathesis (ATMET) can be used. As shown in Fig. 3.10, self-metathesis of a polyunsaturated TAG (the triene ie, triolein in the figure) would yield a hyperbranched polymer devoid of cross-links (Biermann et al., 2010). Of note, through employment of methyl acrylate as chain stopper, the resultant polymer will possess polymerizable carboxylic acid methyl ester end groups that can undergo further polymerization. 

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