Synthesis and characterization of metal-rich phosphonium polyelectrolytes and their use as precursors to nanomaterials

Amir Rabiee Kenaree; Joe B Gilroy

doi:10.1039/c6dt02541b

Synthesis and characterization of metal-rich phosphonium polyelectrolytes and their use as precursors to nanomaterials

Dalton Trans. 2016 Nov 15;45(45):18229-18240. doi: 10.1039/c6dt02541b.

Authors

Amir Rabiee Kenaree¹, Joe B Gilroy¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Chemistry and the Centre for Advanced Materials and Biomaterials Research (CAMBR), The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St. N., London, Ontario, CanadaN6A 5B7. joe.gilroy@uwo.ca.

PMID: 27796388
DOI: 10.1039/c6dt02541b

Abstract

Upon efficient quaternization and salt metathesis of stable triethyl ferrocene/ruthenocene phosphines, styrene-based phosphonium triflate monomers with four different stoichiometric ratios of Fe/Ru were synthesized. Free-radical polymerization of the monomers afforded four polyelectrolytes (M_n: 38 650-69 100 g mol^-1, Đ: 3.16-4.10) that retained many of the spectroscopic and electrochemical properties of the ferrocene/ruthenocene units. TGA studies demonstrated the thermal stability (onset of decomposition: ∼310 °C) and high char yields (33-54% at 1000 °C) of the polyelectrolytes. Pyrolysis in N₂/H₂ (95/5) (film thickness of ∼6 μm, 1000 °C, 3 h) yielded crystalline, mixed-phase nanomaterials containing iron, ruthenium, and phosphorus with compositions influenced by the structure of the parent polyelectrolytes.