Preparation of ultra-high temperature SiC-TiB2 nanocomposites from a single-source polymer precursor

SiC-TiB2 ceramic nanocomposites are valuable ultra-high temperature materials, which are rarely prepared from preceramic polymers. In this work, we synthesized SiC-TiB2 nanocomposites from a new preceramic polymer called titanium- and boron-modified polycarbosilane (TB-PCS). The polymer structure was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The structure, composition, and morphology of the resulting ceramic products were investigated by FT-IR, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The elements of titanium and boron were incorporated into the preceramic polymer, and nanoscale TiB2 and beta-SiC grains generated in situ were detected in the pyrolyzed ceramic products at temperatures higher than 1400 degrees C. The new preceramic polymer presents a novel approach to preparing SiC-TiB2 nanocomposites.