Structure of dialkyl and diaryl substituted organosilane polymers in solution

Abstract

Dilute solution measurements are presented for a series of dialkyl and diaryl polysilanes at ambient temperatures, and at low temperatures where the red shift is observed in the electronic absorption spectrum. The room temperature measurements indicate that the polysilanes exist in solution as wormlike coils, with persistence lengths which vary with substituent. The low temperature measurements indicate that near the region where the red shift is observed in the electronic absorption spectrum the polymer is no longer in solution; multi-molecular aggregates are formed which severely complicate interpretation of the scattering data.