Silicon carbide is a compound shown by a chemical formula of SiC and is usually produced in block form by reactions of SiO.sub.2 with C at high temperature of about 1,900.degree. C.-2,200.degree. C. Its chemical inertness, extreme hardness and high temperature oxidative stability finds many uses such as in high temperature electrical heating units, furnace walls, mufflers, abrasives, rocket nozzles, automotive engine parts and turbine parts.
In order to produce a silicon carbide molding having a particularly defined shape, the above described block is pulverized, and the resulting mixture is molded and then sintered. Of course, it has been impossible to produce SiC fiber from the above process. Organosilicon polymeric materials have been used as ceramic precursors to SiC fibers. Polysilanes, R. West, L. D. David, P. I. Djurovich and H. Yu, Am. Ceram. Soc. Bull.. 62 899 (1983) and polycarbosilanes, S. Yajima in Handbook of Composites: Eds, W. Watt and B. V. Perov; Elsevier, New York; Vol. 1, Ch. VI, pp. 201-37, 1985, are used for this purpose, but multistep preparation processes as well as removal of salts have made these routes lengthy and unattractive.
It is a principal object of this invention, therefore, to provide a polymer that can be used directly to form fibers.
Another object of the invention is to provide a silylene vinylene polymer which undergoes thermolysis to SiC. This polymer could be used for densification of silicon carbide bodies.
A further object of the invention is to provide an easy, efficient, clean and fast process for preparing the silylene vinylene polymers in high yield.