Recent advances in free radical ring‐opening polymerization

In order to find a series of monomers with high reactivities in copolymerization and still undergo free radical ringopening polymerization, a series of cyclic acrylates were synthesized and polymerized to insert a pyruvate ester into the backbone of the polymer. In order to discover groups other than the carbonyl groups and strained rings that would promote free radical ring‐opening polymerization, a series of spiro methylenecyclohexadienes were prepared and polymerized to give a polymer with a p‐phenylene group in the backbone.