Study of a silicon-based preceramic for the processing of polymer-derived ceramics

Abstract

Silicon-based preceramic polymers are an important type of precursor used in the processing of novel polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs), which includes the cross-linking and pyrolysis of the precursor. An integral study of physicochemical and rheological properties of a silicon-based preceramic regarding the variables that control the crosslinking and the characterization pyrolyzed material were accomplished. The precursor synthetized by the sol?gel method was characterized by density measurement, SEC, ATR-FTIR, NMR, and DSC. Flow properties in function of temperature and time, and viscoelastic properties as a function of deformation, frequency, temperature and time were studied by rotational and oscillatory testing, respectively. Also, the crosslinking process in the presence of a catalyst was studied by ATR-FTIR and dynamic tests. The phases generated at high temperature were characterized by XRD, Raman spectroscopy, and EDS. The results indicate that the studied precursor could be considered as a preceramic polymer for developing SiOC-based PDCs.