ABSTRACT:A new oxygen/nitrogen separation membrane based on a polynorbornene with tosylate side chain group was synthesized using well-defined vinylidene ruthenium catalysts. The permeability, separation factor, diffusion and solubility coefficients of a polynorbornene membrane were studied. The introduction of tosylate group into the fivemembered ring of the polynorbornene main chain results in increase of T g and significant improvement in selectivity for O 2 /N 2 .KEY WORDS Norbornene with Tosylate Substituent / Metathesis Polymerization / Ruthenium Catalysts / Polynorbornene with Tosylate Side Chain Group / Oxygen Permeability / The separation and recovery of oxygen/nitrogen from air using polymer membranes have gained much attention. 1, 2 For example, oxygen-enriched air can be used for medical applications, for oxidation processes of chemicals, for enhanced fuel combustion, etc. Polynorbornenes have been the subject of investigations for potential uses in packaging and gas separation. 3 Thus, the permeability and sorption properties of ring-opened polynorbornenes with silicon and fluorine-containing side chain groups were reported. [4][5][6] The authors 7, 8 studied the gas transport properties of ring-preserved polynorbornenes prepared via addition polymerization route.There are many investigations on the preparation of functionalized polymers by ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of norbornene derivatives. 9,10 The norbornene monomers are attractive due to facile functionalization, high reactivity in ROMP and in the ring-preserving polymerization. 11,12 The high molecular weight functionalized polynorbornene with good mechanical properties can be obtained by ROMP using appropriate catalysts tolerating functional groups.The high tolerance of heteroatoms and protic functionalities makes Ru containing compounds very attractive catalysts for metathesis of the various polar monomers. Early it was demonstrated that simple ruthenium complexes can be activated toward olefin metathesis by addition of diazoesters as carbene source. 13 The authors 14, 15 used diphenyl cyclopropene and diazoalkanes as carbene source for the preparation of novel alkylidene ruthenium complexes that are highly efficient catalysts for olefin metathesis and tolerate a large number of polar functional groups.Recently the efficiency of the new vinylidene ruthenium(II) complexes for ROMP of norbornene derivatives has been reported. 16 The present study describes the synthesis of polynorbornene with tosylate side chain group via ROMP of 2-(tosylamethyl)norborn-5-ene using accessible ruthenium vinylidene catalysts and characterization of this polynorbornene for oxygen/nitrogen permeability.
EXPERIMENTAL
MaterialsPolymerization solvents were distilled over calcium hydride. RuCl 2 (PR 3 ) 3 and Cl 2 (PR 3 ) 2 Ru=C=CH(t-Bu) (R=PPh 3 , PCy 3 ) were prepared according to the literature. 16,17 Other reagents (Aldrich) were used as recieved. 2-(Tosylamethyl)norborn-5-ene (TNB) was prepared as described previously (Scheme 1). 12
Polymeriz...