Ceramics matrix composites (CMCs) and ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs) are vital structural materials for the future as engines and turbines run hotter and more efficiently. However, their extended use is hampered by basic polymer science – how to make a wider range of more processable materials with novel properties. Pre-ceramic polymers are inorganic-rich polymers that convert to ceramics upon pyrolysis and are often used in an infiltration-pyrolysis process to make CMCs. A limitation of this process is the time sink of the large number of infiltration-pyrolysis cycles required due to volume shrinkage and cracking. Additionally, the number of preceramic polymers yielding UHTCs is limited in comparison to those producing Si-based ceramics. Preceramic polymer hairy nanoparticles (PCP HNPs) composed of an inorganic core and organic corona reduce the number of needed cycles due to the presence of the inorganic core, and we have recently shown, also have improved rheology. Our first generation PCP-HNPs had the core and corona covalently bound to each other, and our second-generation explores the effects of core-corona attachment via metal-coordination. The impacts to structure and rheological properties, as well as the inclusion of metals allows us to tailor the materials to various structural applications, and expand their use for UHTCs. The synthesis and characterization of the metal-coordinated PCP HNPs and their ceramic progeny by a variety of techniques including NMR, GPC, FTIR, DLS, and XRD will be discussed, and will be compared to our first-generation PCP-HNPs.

Metal-coordinated preceramic polymer hairy nanoparticles: Structural materials for a hotter future

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.