Elucidating the backbone degradation mechanism of poly(7-oxa-2,3-diazanorbornene)

Our recent study introduced a novel class of polymers, poly(7-oxa-2,3-diazanorbornene), characterized by synthetic accessibility and the capacity for living polymerization and degradation even under pH = 7.4 buffered conditions. In this work, our research delves into the polymer's degradation behavior, revealing a detailed mechanism of degradation under both acidic and neutral pH environments. The degradation mechanisms of poly(7-oxa-2,3-diazanorbornene), which is a backbone-degradable polymer produced by living ring-opening metathesis polymerization, under both acidic and neutral pH environments are elucidated.