Synthesis of poly[(silanylene)thiophene]s

Abstract

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 α,ω-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 σ-Si and π-thiophene backbone.