Synthesis, structure, and ring-opening polymerisation of strained macrocyclic biaryls: a new route to high-performance materials

Abstract

A series of new, all-aromatic, macrocyclic biaryls have been obtained by intramolecular, nickel-promoted coupling of bis(4-chlorobenzoylphenoxy)-terminated oligomers, and single-crystal X-ray analysis of one such macrocycle reveals extreme distortion of the biaryl unit; these highly strained materials undergo rapid ring-opening polymerisation in the presence of nucleophilic initiators to give high molecular weight polyetherketones.