Ceramics and ceramic composites architected at the nanoscale can exhibit extraordinary mechanical properties, including elastic deformation and high toughness, but are difficult to fabricate using scalable production methods. The ability to control pre-ceramic polymer (PCP) patterning by using bottom-up approaches, such as self-assembly of block copolymers (BCPs), allows for the production of hierarchical ceramic components with these desired mechanical properties. BCPs contain two or more chemically-distinct blocks that phase separate into well-defined nanostructures. Subsequent pyrolysis of the BCP/PCP mixture converts the PCP into a structural ceramic material while removing the structurally templating BCP from the structure. This work has the potential to advance nanoscale architecting of tough ceramic materials with the opportunity for scalable production methods. Insight into the relationship between polymer structure and nano-scale patterning in thin films of a novel and relatively inexpensive BCP/PCP system will be presented.

Patterning of preceramic polymers via macromolecular self-assembly

255th National Meeting (2018)

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