| Abstract: | Polysilicic acid butyl esters were prepared from 1-butanol and silicic acid extracted from sodium metasilicate solution and water glass with tetrahydrofuran and hydrochloric acid. The properties of the esters were dependent on the degree of esterification (DE). The esters with a DE of less than ca. 60% could be isolated by precipitation with hexane and were highly liable to self-condensation, whereas those with more than 60% DE were soluble in solvents and could not be precipitated easily. They underwent further condensation to form highly polymerized esters. Subsequent silylation allowed the isolation and characterization of these esters. The solvent-soluble silylated esters had moderate thermal stability with decomposition points between 210 and 260°C and number-average molecular weights of 10,000–30,000. From the evaluation of units structures of silylate it was suggested that polymer backbone was a pseudoladder structure. |
