Norbornene-based polymers are integral to advanced
material design for their tunable architectures, yet
traditional norbornene dicarboximides exhibit critical limitations
in solubility, thermal stability, polymerization control, and
functionalization capacity. To overcome these limitations, a
novel indole-functionalized norbornene dicarboximide (Indole-
NDI) monomer was synthesized via a one-pot esterification and
characterized by EI-MS, FT-IR, and 1D/2D NMR techniques.
Subsequent ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP)
afforded poly(Indole-NDI) homopolymer with complete monomer
conversion within 36 min. Polymerization kinetics and control
were systematically examined, identifying Grubbs’ first initiator as
optimal for strained norbornene systems. The incorporation of the indole moiety, combined with the copolymerization of various
side-chain-functionalized norbornenes, yielded copolymers (P1−P7) with tunable thermal and optical properties. The copolymers
were characterized using FT-IR, 1H and 19F NMR, FESEM, and GPC, confirming narrow molecular weight distributions (PDI:
1.11−1.26). Furthermore, antimicrobial assays demonstrated inhibitory activity against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and
Escherichia coli, highlighting the potential of Indole-NDI-based polymers for functional applications.