Despite the plethora of research devoted to olefin metathesis polymerization over the past 25 years, microstructural diversity is currently limited to alkenes, alkynes, and enynes. Recently, I discovered that allenes are susceptible to metathetic conditions, expanding the diversity set by 25%. As allenes unique structure and reactivity has been readily exploited both in nature and organic synthesis, polyallenes provide promising opportunities for the expansion of bio-inspired materials.

As our reliance on plastic continues to grow, the use of biomass feedstock and the discovery of new recycling platforms are ever important. While 90% of naturally occurring materials contain either a carbocycle or heterocycle, due to their low strain nature (as 5 and 6 membered rings are the most common), polymerization of these readily abundant materials are not thermodynamically favorable. Therefore, strategies that can overcome these limitations will help to decrease our reliance on finite petrochemical resources and provide opportunities for the generation of new sustainable and recyclable materials.

Functional group specificity in olefin metathesis has led to the underdevelopment of heterodouble and heterotriple bond metathesis (imines, diazines, nitriles, etc.). To date, only the cross metathesis of heterodouble bonds via non-catalytic pathways has been discovered, thereby making these transformations non-transferable to polymerization. As imines provide a platform for covalently adaptable networks and are readily found in pharmaceuticals, the discovery of such a catalytic platform will have wide ranging impacts in both polymer and organic chemistry.