Molecular Design for Thermally Stable SiZrBOC Structure from Single Source Precursor with High Ceramic Yield

Abstract A new type of high-temperature-resistant SiZrBOC ceramics was prepared by sol-gel method using polymethyl-hydro siloxane (PMHS), boric acid (B(OH)3), and n-propyl zirconate (Zr(OPr)4) as raw materials. After high-temperature pyrolysis, the SiZrBOC precursor was transformed into a crystalline ceramic material with a yield of 89.5 wt%. Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were applied to characterize the polymer-ceramic conversion process and thermal behavior of ceramic precursors. According to the results, the addition of boron elements led to the formation of Si-O-B links in the system. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to study the phase composition and microstructure of SiZrBOC ceramics. Finally, the oxidation test at 1200 °C revealed that SiZrBOC ceramics with a boron/zirconium molar ratio of 2.5:1 exhibited the best oxidation resistance at a weight gain of 0.4 wt% only.