Polyureas, ferrocene polymers

Research in metallocene-containing polyamides, polyureas, polyuretiianes, and polyesters continued to be conducted in the 1980s, and since that time, research into these classes of materials has continued to grow7 Homoannular and heteroaimular liquid-crystalline polymetallocenes have been prepared by Zentel and coworkers through condensation reactions. Ferrocene-based liquid-crystalline polymers have also been reported by Senthil and Kannan. The synthesis of ferrocene polymers containing backbone organophosphorus moieties 32 is shown in scheme 9. 

In the 1980s, the successful synthesis of elastomeric polyamides 120 of high molecular weight (d/n =10,000-18,000) was reported from the polycondensation of l,l -bis(/ -aminoethyl)ferrocene with diacid chlorides (Scheme 13). Also, polyureas 121 were prepared from the same ferrocene monomer and diisocyanates, and polyesters and polyurethanes were prepared from l,l -bis(/ -hydroxyethyl)ferrocene. However, the latter materials had much lower molecular weights and were characterized only by scanning electron microscopy. X-ray, and IR analyses. The introduction of ferrocenes in which the functional groups are separated from the cyclopentadienyl ring by at least two methylene units was crucial in order to reduce steric effects and to avoid the instability found previously in polymers of a-functionalized ferrocene due to the a-ferrocenyl carbonium ion stability. 

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