TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The catalyst comprises: N-heterocyclic carbene or N-heterocyclic silylene; N,N-disubstituted imidazol-2-ylidene or imidazolin-2-ylidene; N,N-disubstituted imidazol-2-silylene or imidazolin-2-silylene; N-heterocyclic carbene-metal complex or N-heterocyclic silylene-metal complex; a metal comprising scandium, titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, zinc, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, cadmium, lutetium, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten, rhenium, osmium, iridium, mercury, silver, copper, gold, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, platinum or nickel, and at least one N-heterocyclic carbene ligand; and a N-heterocyclic complex of formula ((M(NHC)xX1y)z) (VIII). The catalyst is a low valent lanthanide metal catalyst. The lanthanide metal catalyst comprises: a salt, compound or complex of samarium; a N-heterocyclic complex of formula ((M1LaX1b)c) (IX); and thulium diiodide, dysprosium diiodide, ytterbium chloride, ytterbium(II) iodide, europium iodide or neodymium(II) iodide. The silane compound is present in the solvent at 1-90 wt.%. The catalyst is present in the solvent at 0.001-1 mmole. The silane compound comprises trisilane, tetrasilane or neopentasilane. The silane compound further comprises cyclopentasilane. In formula (VIII):M = Ag, Cu, Au, Pd, Rh, Ru, Pt or Ni;x, y, z = 1 or 2; andX1 = halide, carboxyl, hydride or optionally substituted alkyl, allyl, aryl, aralkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, aralkoxy, beta-diketonate, diarylamino, dialkylamino, alkylthio, arylthio, boryl, cyclopentadiene ligand or pentamethyl-cyclopentadiene ligand.In formula (IX):M1 = Yb, Sm, Tm, Nd, Eu or Dy;L = ligand comprising cyclopentadienyl (substituted with 1-5 alkyl, 1-5 silyl or trialkylsilyl), indenyl (substituted with 1-7 alkyl), fluorenyl (substituted with 1-9 alkyl), pentadienyl (substituted with 1-5 alkyl, 1-5 silyl or trialkylsilyl), allyl (substituted with 1-5 alkyl, 1-3 silyl or trialkylsilyl) or pyrimidinones (substituted with 1-6 alkyl),a = 1-4,b = 2;c = 1 or 2; andX1 = halide.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The solvent comprises 5-10C alkane and/or 5-10C cycloalkane. The N-heterocyclic compounds (III)-(VII) are present in the solvent at 0.001-90 wt.%.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Method: The catalyst is anchored to a stationary phase. The silane compound and catalyst are combined in a solvent. The step of removing the catalyst from the oligosilane or polysilane comprises filtering the combined catalyst and oligosilane or polysilane. In the method of making an oligosilane or polysilane, when k is greater than or equal to 1, and (A) when R is aryl group, the method further comprises replacing the aryl group with halogen or pseudohalide, and (B) (i) when R is halogen or pseudohalide, or (ii) the oligosilane or polysilane includes halogen or pseudohalide, the method further comprises reducing the halogen atom or pseudohalide with a hydride source to form the oligosilane or polysilane consisting essentially of A atoms and H atoms. Preferred Components: The oligosilane or polysilane consists essentially of A atoms and H atoms, when k is 0. The N-heterocyclic carbene is an imidazol-2-ylidene or imidazolin-2-ylidene. The semiconductor film is a Group IVA semiconductor film, and the amorphous semiconductor is an amorphous Group IVA semiconductor. EXAMPLE - Tetrasilane in cyclohexane with a mass-loading of 300 mg was added to an amber vial along with N-3-(3-trimethoxysilylpropyl)-3-methylimidazol-2-ylidene-dichloropalladium(II) complex under an inert atmosphere to obtain a mixture. The mixture was stirred for 12 hours. Then, the mixture was quenched and diluted with cyclohexane. After 30 minutes of stirring, insoluble materials were allowed to settle for 15 minutes, and the mixture was filtered and worked up to obtain a polysilane.