Polymerization of 1-trimethylgermyl-1-propyne and properties of the related polymer

A high-molecular-mass poly(1-trimethylgermyl-1-propyne) was synthesized by polymerizing 1-trimethylgermyl-1-propyne with catalytic systems based on ni obium and tantalum pentachlorides (NbCl5, TaCI5, TaCl5-BuLi). The produced polymer is amorphous and stable in air, and its glass transition temperatur e is above 300 degreesC. According to C-13 NMR spectroscopy, the polymer ba ckbone is composed of cis and trails units and the percentage ratio between these units depends on the nature of the used catalytic system and varies from 10 : 90 (TaCl5) to 60 :40 (NbCl5). It was shown that poly(1-trimethylg ermyl-1-propyne) samples prepared using different catalytic systems are dis tinguished by the levels of supramolecular orders. The gas permeability and selectivity parameters of polymer films possessing varying levels of order were studied.