Renewable Isohexide-Based, Hydrolytically Degradable Poly(silyl ether)s with High Thermal Stability.

Several degradable poly(silyl ether)s (PSEs) have been synthesized by dehydrogenative cross-coupling between bio-based 1,4:3,6-dianhydrohexitols (isosorbide and isomannide) and commercially available hydrosilanes. An air-stable manganese salen nitrido complex [MnV N(salen-3,5-tBu2 )] was employed as the catalyst. High-molecular-weight polymer was obtained from isosorbide and diphenylsilane (Mn up to 17000 g mol-1 ). Thermal analysis showed that these PSEs possessed high thermal stability with thermal decomposition temperatures (T-5 % ) of 347-446 °C and glass transition temperatures of 42-120 °C. Structure-property analysis suggested that steric bulk and molecular weight have a significant influence to determine the thermal properties of synthesized polymers. Importantly, these polymers were degraded effectively to small molecules under acidic and basic hydrolysis conditions.