T. Erny et al., MICROSTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT OF OXYCARBIDE COMPOSITES DURING ACTIVE-FILLER-CONTROLLED POLYMER PYROLYSIS, Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 76(1), 1993, pp. 207-213
The microstructure development of a ceramic composite material fabrica
ted by active-filler-controlled polymer pyrolysis (AFCOP) was investig
ated. During heating of a polysiloxane precursor mixed with titanium p
owder in argon atmosphere up to 1400-degrees-C, thermally induced deco
mposition of the polymer phase is combined with simultaneous carburiza
tion of the transition metal filler. Precipitation of nanocrystalline
titanium carbide at the filler particle surface starts above 400-degre
es-C, and larger, faceted carbide particles have grown above 800-degre
es-C. A skeleton of turbostratic carbon is formed above 800-degrees-C
in the polymer-derived silicon oxycarbide matrix from which b-silicon
carbide and cristobalite crystallize above 1000-degrees-C. A pronounce
d reduction in linear shrinkage involved in polymer-ceramic conversion
is observed. The shrinkage reduction ranges from more than 25% for th
e filler-free precursor to less than 10% in the presence of 30 vol% of
the titanium filler. Thus, active-filler-controlled pyrolysis offers
the possibility of controlling shrinkage and porosity formation during
polymer-ceramic conversion in order to fabricate bulk components from
organometallic polymer precursor systems.