Yizeng Ni

Rings, Polymers, and New Materials Containing Phosphorus and Other Main Group Main Elements or Transition Metals

Abstract Polymers which contain inorganic elements are attracting considerable attention because they provide access to materials with interesting, unusual and potentially useful properties. In this paper we emphasize some of our recent work aimed at exploiting ring-opening polymerization as a route to new inorganic and organometallic polymers containing the main group element phosphorus. For example, attempts to prepare new polymers which also contain boron are reported. In addition, recent results on the ring-opening polymerization of [1]- metallocenophanes such as cyclic ferrocenylsilanes and cyclic ferrocenylphosphines, which possess strained ring-tilted structures, are described. Finally, some recent research on poly(thionylphosphazenes), a novel class of inorganic polymers with sulphur(VI)-nitrogen-phosphorus backbones, is discussed.

Sulfur(VI)-Nitrogen-Phosphorus Macrocycles and Polymers

Abstract Cyclic thionylphosphazenes 1 undergo thermal ring-opening Polymerization (TROP) to yield poly(thionylphosphazenes) 2 with backbones of four coordinate sulfur(VI), nitrogen, and phosphorus atoms. During TROP of 1, macrocycles with analogous skeletal compositions were also formed. Isolation, characterization and thermolysis studies of these species are described.