Metal Vapor Synthesis of Organometal Polymers and Polymer-Supported Metal Clusters

Abstract

Abstract Metal vapor chemistry has matured from being merely a curiosity and is now established as a viable synthetic technique. Recently the method has been applied to the formation of organometallic polymers and polymer-supported metal clusters. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a short review of the initial studies in the field. The synthesis of organometallic polymers is described via either formation of the organometallic polymer precursor or the reaction of metal vapor with a preformed polymer and the two techniques are compared with respect to the chemical and physical properties of the products. The generation of polymer-stabilized small metal clusters at ambient temperatures, by the deposition of a metal vapor into fluid polymer, thin films, is then discussed with particular reference to the combination of matrix-scale and macrosynthetic metal vapor synthesis. Some thoughts regarding the mode of stabilization of metal clusters are also presented. Finally, a brief description of the format...