Preceramic polymers were proposed over 30 years ago as precursors
for the fabrication of mainly Si-based advanced ceramics,
generally denoted as polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs). The
polymer to ceramic transformation process enabled significant
technological breakthroughs in ceramic science and technology,
such as the development of ceramic fibers, coatings, or ceramics
stable at ultrahigh temperatures (up to 20001C) with respect to
decomposition, crystallization, phase separation, and creep. In
recent years, several important advances have been achieved
such as the discovery of a variety of functional properties associated
with PDCs. Moreover, novel insights into their structure
at the nanoscale level have contributed to the fundamental understanding
of the various useful and unique features of PDCs
related to their high chemical durability or high creep resistance
or semiconducting behavior. From the processing point of view,
preceramic polymers have been used as reactive binders to produce
technical ceramics, they have been manipulated to allow for
the formation of ordered pores in the meso-range, they have
been tested for joining advanced ceramic components, and have
been processed into bulk or macroporous components. Consequently,
possible fields of applications of PDCs have been extended
significantly by the recent research and development
activities. Several key engineering fields suitable for application
of PDCs include high-temperature-resistant materials (energy
materials, automotive, aerospace, etc.), hard materials, chemical engineering (catalyst support, food- and biotechnology, etc.), or
functional materials in electrical engineering as well as in micro/
nanoelectronics. The science and technological development of
PDCs are highly interdisciplinary, at the forefront of micro- and
nanoscience and technology, with expertise provided by chemists,
physicists, mineralogists, and materials scientists, and engineers.
Moreover, several specialized industries have already
commercialized components based on PDCs, and the production
and availability of the precursors used has dramatically increased
over the past few years. In this feature article, we highlight
the following scientific issues related to advanced PDCs
research:
(1) General synthesis procedures to produce silicon-based preceramic
polymers.
(2) Special microstructural features of PDCs.
(3) Unusual materials properties of PDCs, that are related to
their unique nanosized microstructure that makes preceramic
polymers of great and topical interest to researchers across a
wide spectrum of disciplines.
(4) Processing strategies to fabricate ceramic components from
preceramic polymers.
(5) Discussion and presentation of several examples of possible
real-life applications that take advantage of the special characteristics
of preceramic polymers.
Note: In the past, a wide range of specialized international symposia
have been devoted to PDCs, in particular organized by the
American Ceramic Society, the European Materials Society,
and the Materials Research S...
