Silole-containing conjugated polymers

Jacky W. Y. Lam, Junwu Chen, Hongchen Dong, and Ben Zhong Tang 

Department of Chemistry, Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Open Laboratory of Chirotechnology, and Center for Display Research, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China 

Macromolecules Containing Metal and Metal-Like Elements, Volume 4 Group IVA Polymers, edited by Alaa S. Abd-El-Aziz, Charles E. Carraher Jr., Charles U. Kttman Jr., and Martel Zeldin ISBN 0-471-68238-1 Copyright 2005 John Wiley Sons, Inc. 

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The incorporation of siloles in polymers is of interest and importance in chemistry and functionalities. Some optoelectronic properties, impossible to obtain in silole small molecules, may be realized with silole-containing polymers (SCPs). The first synthesis of SCPs was reported in 1992.21 Since then, different types of SCPs, such as main chain type 7r-conjugated SCPs catenated through the aromatic carbon of a silole, main chain type cr-conjugated SCPs catenated through the silicon atom of a silole, SCPs with silole pendants, and hyperbranched or dendritic SCPs (Fig. 2), have been synthesized.10 In this chapter, the functionalities of SCPs, such as band gap, photoluminescence, electroluminescence, bulk-heterojunction solar cells, field effect transistors, aggregation-induced emission, chemosensors, conductivity, and optical limiting, are summarized. 

Cross-coupling reactions in the chemistry of silole-containing p-conjugated oligomers and polymers 02JOM(653)223. 

Compared to the silole-containing polymers, phosphole has received little attention as a building block for extended -conjugated systems, despite its unique characteristics and numerous applications in organic and metal coordination chemistry. The first practically applicable synthesis was independently presented in 1959 by two groups. The first successful synthesis of phosphole-containing 7i-conjugated polymers was established by Tilley and... 

Tamao and coworkers recently demonstrated that several ir-conjugated systems containing silole (l-silacyclopenta-2,4-diene) rings are capable of emitting visible light under the influence of electric charge and may be useful in molecular electronics. Structures 398-400 of some of the polymers are given. 

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