Abstract
Polysilanes grown by Wurtz-type synthesis on a catalyst surface show a puzzling tri-modal distribution of molecular weight. In this paper, Tom McLeish briefly reviews a collaborative approach between polymer chemistry and theoretical physics aimed at building a quantitative model of this process and explains how tri-modal distributions emerge naturally when chiral defects in the growing chains interact.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 239-241 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Polymer international |
| Volume | 58 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 5 May 2009 |
Keywords
- Polymerisation theory
- Polysilane
- Wurtz synthesis