Highly efficient ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) using new ruthenium catalysts containing N-heterocyclic carbene ligands

Up to one hundred thousand equivalents of a variety of low???strain cyclic olefins, such as cyclooctadiene, cyclooctene, and several functionalized and sterically hindered derivatives, were polymerized by using highly active ruthenium???based ring???opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) catalysts [Eq.???(1)]. Efficient syntheses of other polymeric structures were also accomplished