Preceramic polymer for ceramic including metal boride
Disclosed is a method of fabricating a preceramic polymer for making a ceramic material including a metal boride. The method includes providing a starting preceramic polymer that includes a silicon-containing backbone chain and first and second reactive side groups extending off of the silicon-containing backbone chain, reacting a boron-containing material with the first reactive side group to bond a boron moiety to the silicon-containing backbone chain, and reacting a metal-containing material with the second reactive side group to bond a metal moiety to the silicon-containing backbone chain such that the preceramic polymer includes the boron moiety and the metal moiety extending as side groups off of the silicon-containing backbone chain. Also disclosed is a preceramic polymer composition and a metal-boride-containing ceramic article fabricated from the preceramic polymer.
1. A method of fabricating a preceramic polymer for making a ceramic material including a metal boride, the method comprising:
providing a starting preceramic polymer that includes a silicon-containing backbone chain and first and second reactive side groups extending off of the silicon-containing backbone chain;
reacting a boron-containing material with the first reactive side group to bond a boron moiety to the silicon-containing backbone chain, wherein the starting preceramic polymer is selected from the group consisting of polysilazane, polysilane, polysiloxane and combinations thereof; and
reacting a metal-containing material with the second reactive side group to bond a metal moiety to the silicon-containing backbone chain such that the preceramic polymer includes the boron moiety and the metal moiety extending as side groups off of the silicon-containing backbone chain.
2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the boron-containing material is a borate compound.
3. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the metal of the metal-containing material is a refractory metal.
4. The method as recited in claim 3 , wherein the metal of the metal-containing material is selected from the group consisting of refractory metals.
5. The method as recited in claim 4 , wherein the refractory metal is titanium.
6. The method as recited in claim 4 , wherein the refractory metal is zirconium.
7. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the boron-containing material is a borate compound and the metal-containing material is a metal alkoxide.
8. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first reactive side group is a N—H moiety and the second reactive side groups is a Si—H moiety.
9. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the boron moiety and the metal moiety are bonded off of silicon atoms in the silicon-containing backbone chain.
10. A preceramic polymer composition comprising:
a silicon-containing backbone chain including a boron moiety and a metal moiety extending as side groups off of the silicon-containing backbone chain, wherein the silicon-containing backbone chain is selected from the group consisting of polysilazane, polysilane, polysiloxane and combinations thereof.
11. The composition as recited in claim 10 , wherein the boron moiety is a borate compound.
12. The composition as recited in claim 10 , wherein the metal of the metal moiety is selected from the group consisting of refractory metals.
13. The composition as recited in claim 12 , wherein the refractory metal is titanium.
14. The composition as recited in claim 12 , wherein the refractory metal is zirconium.
15. The composition as recited in claim 10 , wherein the boron moiety and the metal moiety are bonded off of silicon atoms in the silicon-containing backbone chain.