Synthesis of novel polysilylenes bearing phenol groups directly bonded to SiSi main chains for preparing Langmuir–blodgett thin films

Abstract

Abstract Polysilylenes with a phenol group directly bonded to the main chain Si atom were prepared by polymerizing dichlorosilane monomers bearing phenol groups protected by t ‐butyldimethylsilyl ether, followed by deprotecting the silyl ether. These amphiphilic polysilanes were applied to provide oriented thin films by the Langmuir‐Blodgett technique. Stable monolayers were not obtained for polysilylenes having only alkyl and aryl substituents. However, all the polysilylenes with phenol moieties provided monolayers on a water surface. These polysilylene monolayers were transferred to hydrophobic substrates by applying the Langmuir‐Blodgett technique. Among these polysilylenes, only poly( n ‐butyl‐3‐hydroxyphenylsilylene) provided multilayers in which the SiSi main chains oriented in the dipping direction. The orientation was determined by polarized UV absorption. The orientation ratio reached 0.45. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.