Flow Optimization of Photoredox-Mediated Metal-Free Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization

Abstract

Photoredox-mediated metal-free ring-opening metathesis polymerization (MF-ROMP) is a convenient metalfree method to produce a variety of ROMP polymers. Transitioning MF-ROMP from a batch to a continuous flow process has yet to be demonstrated and could potentially benefit the production efficiency, safety, and modularity of reaction conditions. We designed and evaluated continuous flow and droplet flow setups and compared the results for MF-ROMP across a short series of common monomers. By using the droplet flow reactor setup, we achieved flow conversions comparable to that of batch and circumvented issues with diffusion-limited mixing and air exposure.