History of ADMET

Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization (ROMP) Catalyst 

The equilibrium of the ADMET polymerization is forced towards high polymer by running bulk polymerizations under vacuum to remove ethylene. Working under bulk conditions or in solution, ADMET polymer products have been isolated up to 80 kg mol using [Mo] on hydrocarbon monomers and up to 70 kg mol using [Ru] on peptide functionalized monomers [39,40]. 

Near-quantitative conversion of monomer to polymer is standard in these polymerizations, as few side reactions occur other than a small amount of cychc formation common in all polycondensation chemistry [41]. ADMET depolymerization also occurs when unsaturated olefins are exposed to pressures of ethylene gas [42,43]. In this case, the equilibriiun nature of metathesis is shifted towards low molecular weight products under saturation with ethylene. Due to the high catalytic activity of [Ru] and the abihty of [Mo] and [Ru] to create exact structures, ADMET has proven a valuable tool for production of novel polymer structures for material applications as well as model copolymer systems to help elucidate fundamental structure property relationships [5]. 

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This chapter will present some of the history of ADMET and olefin metathesis in general, although the emphasis will be on the mechanism and kinetics of ADMET polymerization. The general mechanism for olefin metathesis will be presented before any of the specific catalyst structures are introduced or discussed in order to provide the reader with a firm basis upon which to compare the various popularly used catalysts for ADMET polymerization. In addition, procedural information will be given at the end of the chapter to give the reader an idea of what is specifically involved in a typical ADMET polymerization. 

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