Catalytic Syntheses of Thiol-End-Functionalized ROMP\nPolymers

Thiol-functionalized\npolymers have become a crucial class of materials\ndue to their distinct chemical properties and versatile reactivity,\nleading to a broad spectrum of applications. Herein, we report the\nstraightforward syntheses of a wide range of thiol-end-functionalized\nring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) polymers exploiting\nour previously reported catalytic ROMP mechanisms using suitable chain\ntransfer agents. All the synthesized polymers were characterized via\nSEC, <sup>1</sup>H NMR spectroscopy and MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry\ntechniques. Furthermore, the existence of thiol groups on the polymer\nchains was verified through the well-established thiol coating reaction\non gold nanoparticle surfaces. We believe this method of synthesizing\nthiol-end-functionalized ROMP polymers (using a reduced amount of\nruthenium metal compared to conventional living ROMP) will be of great\nimportance to materials science and biochemical research.