Silicon oxycarbide glasses and glass‐ceramics: “All‐Rounder” materials for advanced structural and functional applications

Silicon oxycarbides can be considered as being carbon‐containing silicates consisting of glass networks in which oxygen and carbon share bonds with silicon. The carbon‐for‐oxygen substitution in silicate glass networks has been shown to induce significant changes in the network connectivity and consequently strong improvements in the properties of the silicate glass network. For instance, SiOC glasses exhibit Young's moduli, hardness values, glass transition, and crystallization temperatures which are superior to those of vitreous silica. Moreover, the silicon oxycarbide glass network exhibits unique structural features such as reduced mass fractal dimension and nano‐heterogeneity, which significantly affect and/or dictate its properties and behavior. In the present Review, a consideration of the current state of the art concerning the synthesis, processing, and various structural and functional properties of silicon‐oxycarbide‐based glasses and glass‐ceramics is done. Thus, the synthesis of silicon oxycarbides starting from macromolecular precursors such as polysiloxanes or alkoxysilanes‐based sol‐gel systems as well as current advances related to their processing will be critically reviewed. In addition, various structural and functional properties of silicon oxycarbides are presented. Specific emphasis will be put on the intimate correlation between the molecular architecture of the precursors and the structural features and properties of the resulting silicon oxycarbides.