Inorganic Polymers: Overview

Synonyms

Borazine polymers; Phosphazene polymers; Polysilanes; Polysiloxanes; Silazane polymers

Definition

Inorganic polymers are linearly chained large molecules composed of inorganic main chain with inorganic or organic side groups.

Introduction

Polymers are linearly chained large molecules composed of sequences of repeating monomer units connected by covalent bonds. The polymers can be classified as organic and inorganic polymers. It is well known that organic polymers consist primarily of carbon and hydrogen atoms and frequently along with some heteroatom such as oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur. Organic polymers are used as plastics and elastomers, films, and fibers in many areas, because of their attractive properties, such as easy processability, high strength, and low density. In spite of their widespread importance, organic polymers have a number of deficiencies. For example, many organic polymers are not suitable for high-temperature applications and become very brittle at very...