Recent advances in polycarbosilanes synthesis

Abstract

Silicon incorporation polymers feature materials with many attractive properties, such as flexibility, nontoxicity, oxygen/thermal resistance. As one of the important and high-value added type of organosilicon polymers, polycarbosilane was widely used as the precursor of silicon carbide materials. In this comprehesive review, we would like to provide a summary of recent advancements in synthesizing polycarbosilanes from the view point of synthetic strategy and methodology. Significant focus is paid to the monomer scope, polymerization control, regioselectivity and stereoselectivity in the related polymerization process. We would like to provide inspiration in further synthesis and application in this field.