From Chemistry to Processing of Boron-Modified Polycarbosilazanes: Toward the Preparation of Bulk SilicoBoron (Carbo)Nitride Ceramics
Résumé
Silicon-based non-oxide ceramics (SiC, Si3N4) have attracted
much attention due to their good properties and reliability at high
temperatures which can be enhanced by addition of a second
ceramic (nano)phase. However, their preparation is a challenging
task as conventional processes lead to inhomogeneities and impurities
affecting the properties. The Polymer-Derived Ceramics (PDCs)
route is an alternative strategy using a “ceramic through chemistry”
concept. Preceramic polymers have allowed obtaining multi-element
ceramics with controlled chemical composition by incorporating
elements to provide high temperature resistant materials. In this
study, boron is added to polycarbosilazanes to obtain silicoboron
carbonitride (Si/B/(C)/N) ceramics after pyrolysis. We investigate
through FTIR, solid-state NMR, the chemistry of boron-modified
polycarbosilazanes as well as their pyrolysis behavior combining TG
experiments and solid-state NMR. By controlling the boron content
in the polymer at molecular scale, we can deliver after pyrolysis bulk
Si/B/(C)/N materials with tailored properties. The high temperature
behavior is investigated by thermogravimetric analysis, XRD,
elementary analysis and Raman spectroscopy and we show how the
boron content and the nature of the atmosphere affect the structural
evolution of the Si/B/(C)/N phase at high temperature.