Linear Ferrocenylene−Siloxyl−Diacetylene Polymers and Their Conversion to Ceramics with High Thermal and Oxidative Stabilities

The synthesis of ceramic materials by pyrolysis of polymer precursors is well established. Although this approach has been used successfully for such materials as SiC, Si sub 3 N sub 4 , and BN, relatively little work has been reported on the pyrolysis of transition metal containing polymers. The conversion of organotransition metal polymers into ceramics could lead to materials with useful mechanical, electrical, and magnetic properties. Ferrocene-containing polymers are particularly attractive materials for the synthesis of iron-containing ceramics as the ferrocenylene moiety is thermally robust, relatively inexpensive, and readily derivatized. In this paper we report our study on the synthesis and thermal properties of a ferrocenylene-siloxyl-diacetylene polymer containing m-carborane units in the polymer backbone.