Synthesis and characterization of poly(1-methyl-1-silabutane), poly(1-phenyl-1-silabutane) and poly(1-silabutane)

Summary Anionic ring opening polymerization of 1-methyl-1-silacyclobutane, 1-phenyl-1-silacyclobutane and 1-silacyclobutane co-catalyzed by n-butyllithium and hexamethylphosphoramide (HMPA) in THF at-78°C yields poly(1-methyl-1-silabutane), poly(1-phenyl-1-silabutane) and poly(1-silabutane) respectively. These saturated carbosilane polymers possess reactive Si-H bonds. They have been characterized by ¹H, ¹³C and ²⁹Si NMR as well as FT-IR and UV spectroscopy. Their molecular weight distributions have been determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), thermal stabilities by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and glass transition temperatures (T_g) by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).