Role of in situ formed free carbon on electromagnetic absorption properties of polymer derived SiC ceramics
In order to enhance dielectric properties of polymer derived SiC ceramics, a novel single source precursor was synthesized by the reaction of an allylhydrido polycarbosilane (AHPCS) and divinyl benzene (DVB) to form carbon rich SiC. As expected, the free carbon contents of resultant SiC ceramics annealed at 1600 degC are significantly enhanced from 6.62 wt% to 44.67 wt% After annealing at 900 1600 degC, the obtained carbon rich SiC ceramics undergo phase separation from amorphous to crystalline feature where superfine SiC nanocrystals and turbostratic carbon networks are dispersed in an amorphous SiC(O) matrix. The dielectric properties and electromagnetic (EM) absorption performance of as synthesized carbon rich SiC ceramics are significantly improved by increasing the structural order and content of free carbon. For the 1600 degC ceramics mixed with paraffin wax, the minimum reflection coefficient (RCmin) reaches 56.8 dB at 15.2 GHz with the thickness of 1.51 mm and a relatively broad effective bandwidth (the bandwidth of RC values lower than 10 dB) of 4.43 GHz, indicating the excellent EM absorption performance. The carbon rich SiC ceramics have to be considered as harsh environmental EM absorbers with excellent chemical stability, high temperature, and oxidation and corrosion resistance.
Journal of Advanced Ceramics