Synthesis of poly{[bis(diethynylphenyl)silylene]phenylene}s with highly heat-resistant properties and an application to conducting materials

Poly{[bis(3,5-diethynylphenyl)silylene]-p-phenylene} was prepared by the reaction of poly[(diethoxysilylene)-p-phenylene] with 3,5-bis(trimethylsilylethynyl)phenyllithium, followed by desilylation of the resulting substitution product. The present polymer exhibited extremely high heat-resistance and their thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) in a nitrogen atmosphere showed the temperature of 5% weight loss (Td5) of 791 °C. Total weight loss at 1000 °C in TGA was determined to be 6% based on the initial weight. Treatment of a polymer film on a quartz plate at 1200 °C in vacuo led to the formation of a conducting thin film with a thickness of 74 nm and a conductivity of 9 S/cm.