Keywords

Polymer derived ceramics, SiCN, Electronic properties, Microstructures

Abstract

Polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs) are a new class of high-temperature materials synthesized by thermal decomposition of polymeric precursors. These materials possess many unique features as compared with conventional ceramics synthesized by powder metallurgy based processing. For example, PDCs are neither amorphous nor crystalline. Instead, they possess nano-domain structures. Due to the direct chemical-to-ceramic processing, PDCs can be used for making components and devices with complex shapes. Thus, understanding the properties and structures of these materials are of both fundamental and practical interest. In this work, the structures and electronic behavior of polymer-derived amorphous silicon carbonitrides (SiCNs) were investigated. The materials were synthesized by pyrolysis of a commercially available liquid precursor. Ceramic materials with varied structures/properties were successfully synthesized by modifying the precursor and using different pyrolysis temperatures. The structures of the obtained materials were studied using XRD, solid state NMR, EPR, FTIR and Raman Spectroscope. The electronic behavior of the materials was investigated by measuring I-V curves, Hall effects, temperature dependent conductivity. The experiments were also performed to measure UV-Visible absorption and dielectric properties of the materials. This work leads to the following significant progresses: (i) developed quantitative technique for measuring free carbon concentration; (ii) achieved better understanding of the electronic conduction mechanisms and measured electronic structures of the materials for the first time; and (iii) demonstrated that these materials possess unusual dielectric behavior and provide qualitative explanations.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2009

Advisor

An, Linan

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Engineering and Computer Science

Department

Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Engineering

Degree Program

Materials Science and Engineering

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0002702

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0002702

Language

English

Release Date

September 2009

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

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