BONDING OF STRUCTURAL CERAMIC MATERIALS WITH PRECERAMIC POLYMERS

The development of novel bonding materials is of great importance to the fabrication of complex ceramic shapes whose machining is eith impossible or too expensive. In Phase I, Laser Photonic Technology, inc. proposes to explore the use of polymer precursors to silicon carbide, silicon nitride, and alumina, as "glues" to develop cost-effective methods of bonding advanced ceramic materials to each other. This approach relies on the facile conversion, in high ceramic yield, of preceramic polymers to both amorphous and crystalline ceramics at temperatures (600-700 degrees celcius) well below those typically required to form/john ceramics using melt processing and/or hot pressing methods. The basic goal will be to identify a set of preceramic polymers that can be used successfully to join a selected set of ceramic materials, e.g. Si(3)N(4).