Thermal polymerization of dihydroxy(metallo)phthalocyanine compounds of the group IVa elements in the solid state

The dihydroxy metallophthalocyanine compounds of the elements Si, Ge, and Sn undergo face-to-face polymerization upon heating in the solid state at temperatures in the range 600-700 K or slightly higher. Our practical interest is for the Si polymer, which we incorporated in a doped form in conductive fibers. A kinetic study of a reaction focusing primarily on the silicon system is presented herein. We conclude that a solid state polycondensation under topochemical control may include general steps analogous to those occurring in free radical polymerizations, namely initiation, chain propagation and some termination modes (e.g., combination of chains at a point of impingement, noncombination with defect generation, and critical chain length termination).