Polysilanes—a new look at some old materials

In spite of the fact that the first polysilane derivatives were probably prepared in the mid 1920's, there was little scientific interest until recently. The synthesis of the first soluble homo and copolymers about 10 years ago has stimulated an explosive development of this class of materials. This brief review traces the historical development of the polysilanes and focuses on recent studies of polymer structure, electronic properties, photochemical reactions and mechanisms and finally on new applications. Copyright © 1989 Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim