Progressing towards a photoswitchable Karstedt's catalyst

Release coatings, an important industrial product, are made of polysiloxanes, which are synthesized by hydrosilylation reactions that are commonly catalyzed by Karstedt’s catalyst. For manufacturing purposes, control over Karstedt’s catalyst is required. This is achieved by inhibiting the catalyst, which can then be triggered by heating. A more energy efficient method could be achieved by activating the catalyst with light instead of heat. Dithienylethene molecular switches are well-suited to the development of photo-reactive systems since they have well-behaved photochromic properties. Dithienylethene derivatives exhibit significant differences between their ring-open and ring-closed isomers. Control over the initiation of Karstedt’s catalyst with light may be achieved, by modifying a dithienylethene such that one isomer acts as an inhibitor while the other does not. This thesis presents novel approaches to the inhibition of Karstedt’s catalyst. Furthermore, the characteristics necessary for a photoswitchable inhibitor are defined and a method for identifying potential inhibitors is presented.