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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Catalytic synthesis of silicon carbide preceramic polymers: Polycarbosilanes

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6715947· OSTI ID:6715947

Polycarbosilanes are the most successful and widely studied class of polymer precursors for silicon carbide, but traditional methods for their synthesis are inefficient and nonselective. This project is focused on developing transition metal catalysts for the synthesis of polycarbosilanes and other preceramic polymers. In recent work we have developed the first homogeneous transition metal catalysts for the dehydrogenative coupling of simple alkyl silanes to oligomeric and polymeric carbosilanes, H-(SiR[sub 2]CR[prime][sub 2])n-SiR[sub 3]. The coupling of alkylgermanes, however, yields the corresponding oligomeric poly(germanes) (Ge-Ge). Future work will help elucidate the mechanisms of these catalytic process, explore the use of hydrogen acceptors as reaction accelerators, and develop new and more active catalysts.

Research Organization:
Pennsylvania Univ., Philadelphia, PA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
FG02-91ER14173
OSTI ID:
6715947
Report Number(s):
DOE/ER/14173-T1; ON: DE93008634
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English