Polysilane block copolymers applications

A manifold of dendrimers have been presented in the literature ranging from polyamidoamine, polyfpropylene imine), aromatic polyether and polyester, aliphatic polyether and polyester, polyalkane,polyphenylene, polysilane, and phosphorus dendrimers. Combinations of different backbones as well as architectural modifications have also been presented. For example, the incorporation of chirality in dendrimers, copolymers of linear blocks with dendrimer segments (dendrons), and block copolymers of different dendrons has been described. Numerous applications have been proposed for dendrimers such as biotemplates, liquid membranes, catalysts, or in medical applications. ... 

The use of polysilanes as photoinitiators of radical polymerization was one of the hrst means whereby they were incorporated within block copolymer structures [38 0], albeit in an uncontrolled fashion. However the resulting block copolymer structures were poorly defined and interest in them principally lay in their application as compatibilisers for polystyrene (PS) and polymethylphenylsilane blends PMPS. The earliest synthetic strategies for relatively well-defined copolymers based on polysilanes exploited the condensation of the chain ends of polysilanes prepared by Wurtz-type syntheses with those of a second prepolymer that was to constitute the other component block. Typically, a mixture of AB and ABA block copolymers in which the A block was polystyrene (PS) and the B block was polymethylphenylsilane (PMPS) was prepared by reaction of anionically active chains ends of polystyrene (e.g. polystyryl lithium) with Si-X (X=Br, Cl) chain ends of a,co-dihalo-polymethylphenylsilane an example of which is shown in Fig. 2 [43,44,45]. Similar strategies were subsequently used to prepare an AB/ABA copolymer mixture in which the A block was poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) [46] and also a multi- block copolymer of PMPS and polyisoprene (PI) [47]. 

There are several reports in recent literature on the application of silicon-containing compounds as the initiators of cationic ring-opening polymerization. This apparently is related to the attempts to prepare block copolymers containing polysiloxane or polysilane segments. (CfL SiCFAgClCL system was used to initiate cationic polymerization of tetrahydrofuran... 

The above thermal analysis studies demonstrated the enhanced thermal stability of POSS materials, and suggested that there is potential to improve the flammability properties of polymers when compounded with these macromers. In a typical example of their application as flame retardants, a U.S. patent39 described the use of preceramic materials, namely, polycarbosilanes (PCS), polysilanes (PS), polysilsesquioxane (PSS) resins, and POSS (structures are shown in Figure 8.6) to improve the flammability properties of thermoplastic polymers such as, polypropylene and thermoplastic elastomers such as Kraton (polystyrene-polybutadiene-polystyrene, SBS) and Pebax (polyether block-polyamide copolymer). 

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