Electrical conductivity of organosilicon polymers II: Synthesis and electrical conductivities of iodine-doped polysilanes containing amino groups

A series of polysilanes containing an N,N-dimethylaminophenyl group and N-pyrrolyalkyl group as in the side chain were prepared by the Wurtz coupling polymerization. The polymerization of N-pyrrolylbutyl or N-pyrrolylhexyl-substituted dichlorosilane with sodium gave successfully the polysilanes with higher molecular weight than 105. The electrical conductivities of I2-doped polysilanes were dependent on the chemical structure of the amino side chain. Moreover, by use of excess iodine, the conductivity of the polymer was enhanced. The electrical conductivity of poly[bis(6-(N-pyrrolyl)hexyl]silane] (7a) increased to a maximum value of 8 × 10−2 S/cm.