Method of making branched polysilanes

Abstract

In a first method, branched polysilanes are prepared via a Wurtz-type coupling reaction by reacting a mixture of a dihalosilanes and a trihalosilanes with an alkali metal coupling agent in an organic liquid medium. The reaction mixture is free of tetrahalosilanes. The branched polysilanes are recovered from the reaction mixture. In a second method, capped-branched polysilanes are prepared via the same Wurtz-type coupling reaction noted above, with the addition of a capping agent to the reaction mixture. The capping agent can be a monohalosilane, monoalkoxysilane, or trialkoxysilane. Capped-branched polysilanes are re-covered from the reaction mixture. The branched polysilanes are soluble in organic liquid mediums.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.