Ring opening metathesis polymerization of norbornene and tetracyclododecene with cyclooctene by using (arylimido)vanadium(V)–alkylidene catalyst

ABSTRACT Ring opening metathesis polymerizations (ROMP) of norbornene (NBE), tetracyclododecene (TCD) in the presence of cis‐cyclooctene (COE) using vanadium‐alkylidene catalyst, V(CHSiMe3)(N‐2,6‐Cl2C6H3)(OC6F5)(PMe3)2 (1), were explored. The polymerizations with TCD afforded high‐molecular‐weight polymers (Mn = 19,500–47,400) with low PDI (Mw/Mn) values (1.18–1.38) which possess microstructure of repeated ring‐opened TCD and certain methylene units by incorporation of ring‐opened COE on the basis of microstructure analysis by NMR spectra and DSC thermograms; hydrogenated copolymer possessed melting temperature at 294 °C. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017, 55, 3067–3074