Organosilicon precursors to silicon carbide for electronic and ceramic applications

SiC is a compound with exceptional physical and mechanical properties. It is one of the hardest materials known to man, second only to diamond and cubic boron nitride. SiC has low density, high inherent strength, high thermal conductivity, is stable at high temperatures and is highly resistant to thermal shock. These properties make it very useful in demanding mechanical engineering applications, both as a reinforcing material in composite materials and as shaped bodies of substantially pure SiC. It is a major commercial commodity, produced in amounts up to a million tons annually.