The Preceramic Polymer Route to Silicon-Containing Ceramics

Abstract

Silicon-containing ceramics include the oxide materials, silica and the silicates; the binary compounds of silicon with non-metals, principally silicon carbide and silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride and the sialons; main group and transition metal silicides, and, finally, elemental silicon itself. While there is vigorous research activity throughout the world on the preparation of all of these classes of solid silicon compounds by the newer preparative techniques, in this report we will focus our attention on silicon carbide and silicon nitride.