Fabrication and characterization of fully dense Si–C–N ceramics from a poly(ureamethylvinyl)silazane precursor

Characterization of the intrinsic physical and mechanical properties of precursor-derived ceramics (PDC) is hitherto hindered by the unavailability of suitable specimens with the representative material structure, homogeneity and of sufficient dimensions amenable to the characterization method. The experimental response is often significantly modified by the included porosity and possible pseudo-microstructures, introduced through the sample fabrication. This paper describes the fabrication of fully dense homogeneous precursor-derived Si–C–N ceramic specimens with material structures covering amorphous to nano-crystalline state using a casting technique, from a liquid polysilazane precursor. The three critical problems involved in the dense PDC processing, viz., (i) bubble formation, (ii) gas evolution induced bloating and cracking and (iii) transformation induced cracking are addressed through controlled cross-linking and thermolysis techniques. Structural characterization of the specimens is carried out using FT-IR, Raman, XRD and HRTEM. The changes in the material structure in the amorphous and phase segregated state are correlated to the material properties, through preliminary physical and mechanical characterization.