Directional Building Blocks Determine Linear and Cyclic Silicon Architectures

Silicon nanomaterials combine earth abundance and biodegradability with exceptional electronic properties. Strategic synthesis promises access to novel architectures with well-defined surface structure, size, and shape. Herein, we describe a five-step synthesis of functional macrocyclic polysilanes. Comparison of the materials isolated from isomeric building blocks provides evidence that building block directionality controls the shape of the resulting nanomaterial. Infrared (IR) and H-1 and Si-29 NMR spectroscopies, coupled to computational data, provide evidence of a well-defined Si-H and Si-Me terminated structure. The intrinsic porosity and the polarization arising from the hydridic character of the Si-H bond suggest applications in lithium-ion batteries, which are supported by quantum chemical calculations.