Synthesis and optical applications of ferrocene-containing polymers
Date
2026
Authors
Young, Harrison K.S.
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Abstract
From commodity plastics which enable large-scale manufacturing of consumer products to the nucleic acids and proteins that allow for biological function, polymeric materials are essential for modern life. However, polymers which display functions beyond low-density structural components has been a well-established challenge due to the synthetic difficulty of creating purely organic polymers which feature technologically relevant properties such as electrical conductivity or magnetism. Therefore, further exploration into the incorporation of elements aside from carbon into polymeric systems, and the properties of such compounds, enables the expansion of the applications of these species. This thesis explores optical applications of iron-containing polymeric compounds known as polyferrocenes to showcase larger applicability for inorganic polymers, in addition to investigating new methods for the inclusion of elements which are underexplored in polymer materials to further enhance the optical properties of the polyferrocenes.
Chapter 1 gives a background of the structure of ferrocene, the methods for the inclusion of ferrocene in polymers, and some relevant applications of these polyferrocenes. Chapter 2 discusses the first example of a metallopolymer used in the detection of magnetic field strength via Faraday rotation, using chemically oxidized polyferrocenylsilane thin films. Chapter 3 describes the acid-induced degradation of polyferrocenylsilanes and the use of this property to fabricate photoresists for deep ultraviolet (254 nm) and extreme ultraviolet (13.5 nm) photolithography, as well as electron beam lithography, further expanding on previous polyferrocenylsilane photoresists which undergo photon-mediated crosslinking. Chapter 4 explores the synthesis of a new class of polyferrocenes, linked by antimony atoms, which represents an increase in atomic mass of the linker atom compared to the previously reported polyferrocenylstannanes, as well as the second example of a polymer which contains antimony within the main chain. Chapter 5 outlines the synthesis of polyferrocenes which contain bismuth linkers, the heaviest stable element which can be incorporated into the backbone of a polymer and the only example of a polyferrocenes linked by atom with a principal quantum number greater than 5. Chapter 6 concludes the work described in Chapters 2-5 and discusses potential directions for future work, with emphasis on the use of the antimony- and bismuth-linked polyferrocenes in magnetic field sensing and extreme ultraviolet lithography.
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Keywords
Polymer, Ferrocene, Lithography, Faraday rotation, Antimony, Bismuth, Ferrocenophane