A novel polymer-derived high-temperature SiC/SiAlCN nanocrystalline glass ceramic

A polymer alloy (CA) composed of polycarbosilane (PCS) and polyaluminasilazane (PASZ) was used as precursor for polymer-derived ceramics. Due to the difference in crystallization behavior between PCS-derived and PASZ-derived ceramics, a novel non-oxide SiC/SiAlCN nanocrystalline glass ceramic was successfully fabricated via in situ crystallization of the PCS domain in CA. Ceramic yield of the CA, which was up to 89.9% at 1000 °C, was very high because of interaction between PCS and PASZ during pyrolysis. Micro-morphology of the novel glass ceramic indicated that nanocrystalline SiC was uniformly dispersed in an amorphous phase. The SiC/SiAlCN nanocrystalline glass ceramic may be a high-performance potential material for use in high temperature environments.