Cyclosilazanes and borazines: polymer precursors to silicon- and boron-containing ceramics

High molecular weight poly(N-methyl-B-vinylazaborine) – a semi-inorganic B–N polystyrene analogue

We present the synthesis of a B–N analogue of polystyrene, poly(N-methyl-B-vinylazaborine) in high molecular weight (M_W = 24.9 kDa).

Structure evolution, amorphization and nucleation studies of carbon-lean to -rich SiBCN powder blends prepared by mechanical alloying

Carbon strongly impacts microstructure evolution, amorphization and nucleation of SiBCN ceramics revealing an intense relationship between chemistry and final structure.

Boron-nitrogen doped carbon scaffolding: organic chemistry, self-assembly and materials applications of borazine and its derivatives

Discovered by Stock and Pohland in 1926, borazine is the isoelectronic and isostructural inorganic analogue of benzene, where the C[double bond, length as m-dash]C bonds are substituted by B-N bonds. The strong polarity of such heteroatomic bonds widens the HOMO-LUMO gap of the molecule, imparting strong UV-emitting/absorption and electrical insulating properties. These properties make borazine and its derivatives valuable molecular scaffolds to be inserted as doping units in graphitic-based carbon materials to tailor their optoelectronic characteristics, and specifically their semiconducting properties. By guiding the reader through the most significant examples in the field, in this feature paper we describe the past and recent developments in the organic synthesis and functionalisation of borazine and its derivatives. These boosted the production of a large variety of tailored derivatives, broadening their use in optoelectronics, H2 storage and supramolecular functional architectures, to name a few.

Soluble and meltable hyperbranched polyborosilazanes toward high-temperature stable SiBCN ceramics

High-temperature stable siliconborocarbonitride (SiBCN) ceramics produced from single-source preceramic polymers have received increased attention in the last two decades. In this contribution, soluble and meltable polyborosilazanes with hyperbranched topology (hb-PBSZ) were synthesized via a convenient solvent-free, catalyst-free and one-pot A2 + B6 strategy, an aminolysis reaction of the A2 monomer of dichloromethylsilane and the B6 monomer of tris(dichloromethylsilylethyl)borane in the presence of hexamethyldisilazane. The amine transition reaction between the intermediates of dichlorotetramethyldisilazane and tri(trimethylsilylmethylchlorosilylethyl)borane led to the formation of dendritic units of aminedialkylborons rather than trialkylborons. The cross-linked hb-PBSZ precursors exhibited a ceramic yield higher 80%. The resultant SiBCN ceramics with a boron atomic composition of 6.0-8.5% and a representative formula of Si1B(0.19)C(1.21)N(0.39)O(0.08) showed high-temperature stability and retained their amorphous structure up to 1600 °C. These hyperbranched polyborosilazanes with soluble and meltable characteristics provide a new perspective for the design of preceramic polymers possessing advantages for high-temperature stable polymer-derived ceramics with complex structures/shapes.