Metallocenes into Preformed Polymers

The synthesis of poly(methylsiloxanes) containing sidechain ferrocene or cobalticenium groups has been studied by Cuadrado and coworkers. An amper-ometric glucose electrode was recently created with a sidechain ferrocene containing poly(methylsiloxane).  

Liquid-crystalline polysiloxanes containing 1,3- or l,l -disubstituted ferrocene moieties in their sidechains were also synthesized through a reaction of vinyl organometallic monomers with preformed polysiloxanes. The synthesis of one such liquid-crystalline metal-containing polysiloxane 55 is shown in scheme 17. 

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In the second method, the alkoxyamine-ftmctionalized backbone is prepared by a chemical modification of a preformed polymer. Abbasian and Entezami prepared alkoxyamine-functionalized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) in a three-step procedure. PVC was first arylated with toluene by Friedel-Crafts acylation followed by a bromination step using N-bromosuccinimide. The bromine atom was finally reacted via nucleophilic substitution by the TEMPO hydro-xylamine anion. PVC-g-PS was finally obtained after TEMPO-mediated polymerization of styrene. A TEMPO-functionalized isotactic poly(l-butene) macroinitiator was synthesized by Jo et al. who used a rhodium-catalyzed activation of the alkane C-H bonds and subsequent transformations of the boronate ester group into an hydroxyl pendant group. This reactive moiety was then used to attach a TEMPO-based alkoxyamine bearing another hydroxy function by an ether linkage. A method to prepare PE-g-PS from a poly(ethylene-co-m,p--methylstyrene) obtained by metallocene-catalyzed polymerization was also reported. The macroalkoxya-mine was synthesized after bromination with N-bromosuccinimide followed by a nucleophilic reaction with the TEMPO hydroxylamine anion. 

Unlike molecules containing electron-rich heteroatoms, boron compounds do not poison Ziegler-Natta or metallocene polymerization catalysts. Borane-containing olefin comonomers are therefore well suited to produce olefin copolymers while retaining good catalyst activity. The resulting polymers are suitable for subsequent conversion into a variety of functional groups. In principle, two approaches are possible (1) hydroboration of the terminal double bond (formed by typical chain transfer processes) of a preformed polyolefin, and (2) direct copolymerization of propylene or a 1-alkene with an alkenyl borane (Scheme 11.4). 

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