Unprecedented thermo‐ and ion‐responsive behavior of a non‐ionic water‐soluble polysilane

Abstract
Polysilanes display remarkable optical and electronic properties that are affected by teh degree of σ‐conjugation, which depends on the conformation of the silicon backbone. The thermo‐ and ion‐responsive behavior of aqueous solutions of 1 (Figure) is described, including «inverse» abrupt termochromism and the tunability of the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) by addition of inorganic salts. magnified image