Ferrocenyl-Containing Oligosiloxanes and Polysiloxanes: Synthesis, Properties, and Application

This review addresses the systematization and analysis of methods for the synthesis of ferrocenyl-containing oligo- and (co)polysiloxanes and the potential application areas of these compounds. Various ways to introduce a ferrocenyl moiety into the structure of oligo- and (co)polysiloxanes are considered. Methods of synthesizing ferrocenyl-containing oligo-, cyclo-, silsesquio-, and (co)polysiloxanes via the reactions of catalytic hydrosilylation, dehydrocoupling, azide-alkyne cycloaddition, hydrothiolation, and ring-opening polymerization and polycondensation are demonstrated. It is shown that ferrocenyl-containing oligo- and (co)polysiloxanes feature the redox behavior and are of interest for molecular electronics, chemical modification of electrodes, and design of electrochemical sensors, and as materials for charge dissipation and neuronal implants. Oligo- and (co)polysiloxanes with chiral ferrocenyl substituents can be used in asymmetric catalysis and manufacture of liquid crystals for nonlinear optical systems.