Inorganic copolymers based on silanes and ferrocene monomers, precursors for advanced nanostructured ceramics

The metal-containing polymers combine the processability of organic polymers with the physical and chemical characteristics of the metallic element or complex. Poly(ferrocenylsilanes) with backbone of ferrocene and organo-silane units are currently studied as charge-transport-dissipation materials and as precursors to advanced nanostructured ceramics. The contribution deals with advantages offered by plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition can provide for synthesis of copolymers based on ferrocene with hexamethyldisilane. This method is more suitable for precursors in nanostructured magnetic ceramics as ready for sintering. Synthesis parameters (flow, pressure, power discharge, temperature, time, monomer dosage and atmosphere) can be adjusted to get final ceramics precursors with the suitable composition needed in ceramics with tunable properties. Magnetization data showed that ferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases could be directly tunable as a function of polymer precursor composition and temperature.