Acyclic Triene Metathesis Polymerization with Chain-Stoppers: Molecular Weight Control in the Synthesis of Branched Polymers

The synthesis of branched macromolecules from renewable resources via olefin metathesis is described. We observed that it is possible to control the molecular weight during the acyclic triene metathesis (ATMET) of a triglyceride by the application of methyl acrylate as a chain stopper for this straightforward one step one pot polymerization. The resulting materials were characterized by GPC, NMR as well as ESI-MS and the combination of these techniques provided valuable insights into the polymer structure as well as occurring side reactions during this olefin metathesis polymerization reaction.