Synthesis of poly[(silanylene)thiophene]s

Poly(silanylene)thiopene]s, copolymers with alternating thiophene, 2,2-bithiophene, or 2,2:5,5-terthiophene and mono-, di-, or tetrasilanylene units, were prepared by condensation of the dilithium salts of the thiophenes or the bis(2-thienyl)silanes with ,-dichlorosilanes in diethylether. The polymers were characterized with¹H,¹³C, and²⁹Si NMR, UV, IR, GPC, TGA, and elemental analyses. UV absorption maxima of these polymers all show a red shift with increasing length of the polymer backbone, suggesting that conjugation occurs through the combined -Si and -thiophene backbone.This paper was presented at the Second International Topical Workshop, Advances in Silicon-Based Polymer Science.