Sterically hindered malonamide monomers for the step growth synthesis of polyesters and polyamides

Exploiting the ready cleavage of bulky amides in the presence of a simple nucleophile, a new monomer for step growth polymerisation has been realised. A range of novel polyesters and polyamides have been prepared under mild conditions that allow for efficient recycling and reuse of the amine by-product. The use of a Lewis acid to increase polyester molecular weight is also explored.