Patent ID: 7485691

Claim:
A method of making a polysilane, comprising: a) combining a silane or germane of the formula AH a R 1 4−a , a silane, germane, or silagermane compound of the formula A k H g R 1′ h , a cyclosilane, cyclogermane, or cyclosilagermane of the formula c-A m H pm R 1′ rm , or a combination thereof with a catalyst of the formula R 4 x R 5 y MX z (or an immobilized derivative thereof) to form a polyarylsilane containing at least 15 A atoms, where each instance of A is independently Si or Ge, a=2 or 3, each instance of R 1 and R 1′ is independently aryl, substituted aryl, or —A b H b+1 R b (where R is aryl or substituted aryl, and b is an integer from 1 to 4), p is 1 or 2, m is from 3 to 12, and r is 0 or 1; k≧2, g≧2, and (g+h)=2k+2; M is a metal selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr and Hf, x=1 or 2, y=1, 2 or 3, z=0, 1 or 2, 3≦(x+y+z)≦8, each of the x instances of R 4 is independently a substituted or non-substituted cyclopentadienyl, indenyl, fluorenyl, siloxyl, germoxyl, hydrocarbyl, hydrocarbyloxy, hydrocarbylamino, or hydrocarbylsulfido ligand; each of the y instances of R 5 is independently a substituted or non-substituted hydrocarbyl, hydrocarbyloxy, hydrocarbylamino, hydrocarbylsulfido, silyl, germyl, hydride, phosphine, amine, sulfide, carbon monoxide, nitryl, or isonitryl ligand, and X is a halogen; b) reacting said polyarylsilane with (i) a halogen source and (optionally) a Lewis acid or (ii) trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (HOTf) to form a polyhalosilane; and c) reducing said polyhalosilane with a metal hydride to form a polysilane containing at least 15 A atoms.