Formation of Si–C–N ceramics from melamine–carbosilazane single source precursors

A series of melamine–carbosilazane pre-ceramic macromolecules (Mel–CSZs) were prepared by the condensation of melamine with different organochlorosilanes (RxSiCl4−x where R is CH3/C6H5 and x is 1, 2 or 3) using pyridine as a solvent under nitrogen atmosphere. These melamine-based carbosilazane macromolecules (Mel–CSZs) were characterized by infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), mass spectrometry (MS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The backbone of the resulting Mel–CSZs consists of melamine and carbosilazane building blocks. Pyrolysis of these Mel–CSZs at 600 °C under nitrogen and vacuum afforded the corresponding silicon-based nonoxide carbonitride ceramics (Si–C–N). The microstructure and textural morphology of the resulting fine ceramic materials were examined using FT-IR, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).