Effect of Disilane Additives on the Electroreductive Polymerization of Organodichlorosilanes

The electroreduction of dichloromethylphenylsilane was carried out in the presence of the disilane additives such as 1,1,1‐trimethyl‐2,2,2‐triphenyldisilane under constant current conditions by using Mg electrodes to give the corresponding polysilanes in 24–88% yield. The disilane additives were found to promote the electroreductive polymerization of dichloromethylphenylsilane and control the molecular weight distribution of the resulting polysilanes. The number average molecular weights of the resulting polysilanes were determined by GPC to be 2100–3800, and the molecular weight distributions, 1.05–1.25. The resulting polymers synthesized in the presence of the disilanes showed narrower molecular weight distributions than that synthesized without the additives. In particular, the resulting polymer prepared using an equal amount of the disilane additive to the dichlorosilane monomer, the number average molecular weight was 3200, the molecular weight distribution was 1.25, and the yield was found to be rem...