Towards sustainability and a circular Economy: ROMP for the goal of fully degradable and chemically recyclable polymers

Over the past century the advancement of polymer chemistry has provided civilization with a plethora of plastic products that have significantly contributed to day-to-day life and the general well-being of humanity. However, the disposal of used plastic has led to an accumulation of plastic waste in the environment which can destroy fragile ecosystems. It is therefore imperative that viable alternatives to the presently used non–degradable polymers are developed. Two emerging approaches for addressing the contemporary plastic waste crisis are the development of degradable and chemically recyclable polymers. Among the various polymerization techniques, ring–opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) remains a viable candidate for the design and preparation of such next-generation polymers. Within this review article an overview is presented regarding the history, mechanism and catalyst developments in ROMP, detailing significant developments over the previous decades which reassert the importance of ROMP in designing advanced polymers. Moreover, this article aims to explore the chemistry involved in ROMP by summarizing the state-of-the-art, as well as providing an overview of the fundamental challenges involved in synthesizing such next-generation polymers, including potential future directions.