Functional Polysilanes and their Optical, Chiroptical and Photoluminescence Properties

Abstract

‘Polysilanes’ is an important class of inorganic polymers having Si-Si σ-conjugation along the backbone. They exhibit extraordinary electronic and photophysical properties and find suitable optoelectronics applications. They are typically synthesized by Wurtz coupling reaction of dichlorodialkylsilane or dichlorodiphenylsilane or dichloroalkylphenylsilane and their combinations under drastic reaction conditions by using sodium dispersion in boiling toluene. In such a drastic condition, no functional groups sustain with polysilane polymer. In order to achieve such functional materials, researchers have been interested in synthesizing functional polysilane with a different functional group like a chiral group, azobenzene containing chromophore and other heteroatoms in their main chain or side chain. Therefore, it is a very challenging task to synthesize polysilanes having effective functionality integrated with their structures. However, the modern technological demand of materials leads to efforts to obtain polymers having functional and multifunctional activity in a single material. In this review article, we cover the synthesis of polysilane with functional activity via pre-polymerization and post-polymerization with a functional group.