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

Polysilanes display remarkable optical and electronic properties that are affected by teh degree of s-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.