Technology of Polysilanes

Other linear polysilanes can also be used as ceramic precursors. Solid objects of silicon carbide are manufactured by Nippon Soda Co. from polysilastyrene and finely divided silicon carbide powder.133 These materials are blended, injection molded to the 

Photolysis of polysilanes produces silyl radicals, which can be used to induce free-radical reactions. Because the silyl radicals can add to carbon-carbon double bonds and begin the formation of polymer chains, polysilanes can be used as radical photoinitiators. In early studies, (PhSiMe) and its copolymers (PhQIUSiMe), and (cyclo-HexSiMe) were shown to photoinitiate the polymerization of styrene and several acrylate 

Photopolymerization using polysilanes can also be carried out to yield block copolymers containing runs of silicon atoms, for instance polysilane-methyl methacrylate. The resulting copolymer can then be used as a macro-photoinitiator for further free-radical polymerizations.144145 

Repeating the cycle (B) Electrostatic multi-duplication process 

The photoconductivity of polysilanes was described in Section 5.8, and their electroluminescence is covered in Section 5.9.2. These properties make polysilanes possible components of polymer light-emitting diodes, either as charge transport layers or as the actual emissive materials.146 A drawback of the polysilanes is their photodegradation under ultraviolet irradiation, a problem which must be overcome if polysilanes are to become commercially useful. 

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