Near‐Stoichiometric Silicon Carbide from an Economical Polysilane Precursor

Na condensation of CH 3 SiHCl 2 gives polysilanes of the type ((CH 3 SiH) x (CH 3 Si) y ) n (where x + y = 1) whose pyrolysis in a stream of Ar gives SiC and a substantial amount of elemental Si. Treatment of such polysilanes with catalytic quantities of group‐IV‐metal–organometallic complexes, ((η‐C 5 H 5 ) 2 ZrH 2 ) n , (η‐C 5 H 5 ) 2 Zr(CH 3 ) 2 , (η‐C 5 H 5 ) 2 ZrHCl, and (η‐C 5 H 5 ) 2 ‐Ti(CH 3 ) 2 , results in cross‐linking processes such that pyrolysis of these polysilanes gives close to stoichiometric SiC (≥95 wt %) and only very little elemental Si.