ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on inorganic and metal-containing polymers that contain organic units. The potential uses are many and include the broad areas of biomedical, electrical, optical, analytical, catalytic, building, and photochemical applications. The chapter discusses the bond strength for many metal–nonmetal combinations is higher than for many traditional polymers with many having superior thermal stabilities. The majority of the condensation polymerizations can be considered extensions of typical Lewis acid–base reactions. Many of the polymerizations and monomer syntheses are simply extensions of known inorganic, organometallic, and organic reactions. The types and language used to describe inorganic–organic reaction mechanisms are more diversified than those employed by classical organic chemists. The number and variety of organometallic polymers and potential applications for organometallic polymers is great. Owing to the high cost of production of many of these materials, the use will often be limited to applications employing the minute quantities of the polymers.
