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Ceramic materials are generally prepared from structurally simple starting materials, with the consequence that structural properties are difficult to control on a molecular level. This difficulty might be addressed by following the approach taken in polymer chemistry in which molecular building blocks are first prepared and then polymerized in a subsequent step. In the present case, the polysilicic acid esters [Si2O](OCH3)6, [Si3O2](OCH3)8, and [Si8O12](OCH3)8 are prepared and then polymerized by hydrolysis/condensation. Silicon-29 solution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is used to estimate the extent to which the molecular frameworks of these monomers are retained during the course of hydrolysis and condensation.

Catalysts, coatings, and structural components are some of the applications of the synthetic inorganic materials described here, which range from zeolites to carbides and nitrides. The in‐situ growth of β‐Si3N4 whiskers from α‐Si3N4 grains is depicted the Figure. Self‐reinforced silicon nitride results, as the whiskers impart increased fracture toughness to the ceramic.

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