Liquid polycarbosilanes: synthesis and evaluation as precursors for SiC ceramic

A series of liquid polycarbosilanes were successfully synthesized by a sequential Grignard coupling reaction of (chloromethyl)triethoxysilane and vinylmagnesium bromide, followed by reduction with lithium aluminium hydride. The use of non-corrosive, easily handleable and storage stable (chloromethyl)triethoxysilane as starting material is an attractive advantage for this route. The as-synthesized polymers containing Si−CH=CH 2 and Si − H groups are storage stable and can be easily cured in an inert atmosphere. The ceramic yield of the cured polycarbosilane and the C:Si ratio of the derived ceramic were varied by adjusting the mole ratio of starting materials in the feed. Among them, the polymer with a mole ratio of Si−CH=CH 2 to Si − H of 1:10 has the highest ceramic yield at 89.6% after curing at 220 °C and the C:Si ratio of the derived ceramic is 1.48. This kind of polycarbosilane shows high potential as an SiC ceramic precursor in the fabrication of an SiC matrix by the precursor infiltration pyrolysis process. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry