Synthesizing polymers with an unprecedented structure

For more than two decades, the Ihara research group has been focusing on the development of new methods for polymer syntheses using diazocarbonyl compounds as monomers. They found that diazoacetate can be polymerized by a palladium(Pd)-based initiator to afford carbon–carbon (C–C) main chain polymers bearing an alkoxycarbonyl group (ester) on each main chain carbon atom. The findings are published in the Polymer Journal.