Metallocene influence on poly(cyclosilane) structure and properties

Abstract

Poly(cyclosilane)s, conjugated polymers inspired by crystalline silicon, are synthesized by group 4 metallocene-promoted dehydrocoupling polymerization. Changes in metallocene structure and reactivity are correlated with changes in poly(cyclosilane) chain length and optical properties. This work demonstrates the ability of target-directed synthesis to afford tunable, complex polymeric architectures.