Polymers Containing Phosphorus in the Backbone

Only very few polymers contain besides carbon and hydrogen only phosphorous and oxygen in their backbone. One example is poly(oxytetramethylene oxyphenyl phosphono) with the structure indicated below  

The thermal stability of this polymer has been studied, and by heating from ambient to 500° C the polymer generates butadiene, tetrahydrofuran, dihydrofuran, water, the cyclic ester of phenylphosphonic acid and 1,4-butanediol, phenylphosphonic acid, and butanediol [1]. The same report evaluates thermal decomposition of this polymer end capped with phenylisocyanate. In addition to the same compounds as for the main polymer, CO2 and aniline were detected from the polymer decomposition. 

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Polymers containing phosphorus in the backbone are less common in practice. The polymers from this class include organic phosphates, organic phosphonates, and also polymers obtained from substituted phosphazenes such as substituted dioxyiminophosphorane [1], aminooxyiminophosphorane or diaminoiminophosphorane. 

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