Cyclopolymerization of Dipropargyl Isopropylidene Malonate and Characterization of the Product

Abstract

The polymerization of dipropargyl isopropylidene malonate (DPIPM) was polymerized by WCl6 and MoCl5 associated with various organometallic cocatalysts. MoCl5 was found to be the most effective catalyst and Ph4Sn was observed to have a high cocatalyst activity. Structure and physical properties of poly(DPIPM) were investigated. The spectral data indicated that poly(DPIPM) contains alternating double and single bonds along the polymer backbone and a cyclic recurring unit. The poly (DPIPM) was partially soluble in common organic solvents. The M(n)BAR values of the polymer from soluble fraction were in the range of 5100-8000 relative to polystyrene standards by GPC. In addition, poly(DPIPM) possesses good stability to air oxidition. When poly(DPIPM) is exposed to iodine vapor, the electrical conductivity was increased from 4.5 X 10(-11) to 7 X 10(-2) S/cm.