Synthesis of High‐Molecular‐Weight Tulipalin‐A‐Based Polymers by Simple Mixing and Heating of Comonomers

The preparation of a polymer based on Tulipalin A with degradable ester linkages and high glass transition temperature with good processability, and solubility in various organic solvents is reported. The reaction was performed by mixing Tulipalin A and 2‐methylene‐1,3‐dioxepane (MDO) at high temperatures (70 °C and above) in the entire composition range without any initiator. The polymerization mechanism is found to be different from mere thermal initiation at high temperature. It was a combination of ionic and radical mechanism as proved by different methods. Microstructure analysis was done by 1D and 2D NMR techniques. The reactions were also tuned for different structures with varied properties by adding either the radical trapping agent or radical generators in the system. magnified image