Page 51 - Plastics News April 2017
P. 51

TECHNOLOGY




          Liquid polymer that can transform into a ceramic with valuable thermal,
          optical and electronic properties



             eramic textiles, improved jet engine blades, 3-D   polymers," Singh said. "But when you heat our polymer,
          Cprinted ceramics and better batteries may soon       it undergoes a liquid to solid transition. This transparent
          become a reality, thanks to a recently patented polymer   liquid polymer can transform into a very black, glasslike
          from a Kansas State University engineer. Gurpreet Singh,   ceramic."
          Harold O. and Jane C. Massey Neff associate professor
                                                                Ceramics are valuable because they withstand extreme
          of mechanical and nuclear engineering at Kansas State
                                                                temperatures and are used for a variety of materials,
          University,  has  patented  a  liquid  polymer  that  can
                                                                including spark plugs, jet engines, high-temperature
          transform into a ceramic with valuable thermal, optical
                                                                furnaces or even space exploration materials. As a
          and electronic properties.
                                                                preceramic polymer, Singh said the liquid material has
          Using five ingredients — silicon, boron, carbon, nitrogen   several important properties:

                                                                •   The polymer is low density and can create lightweight
                                                                    ceramics instead of the usual heavy ceramics.
                                                                •   The polymer is scalable and can be mass-produced in
                                                                    grams or kilograms.

                                                                •   The ceramic derived from this polymer can survive
                                                                    extreme temperatures as high as approximately 1,700
                                                                    degrees Celsius. Yet the ceramic has a mass density
                                                                    three to six times lower than that of other ultrahigh-
                                                                    temperature ceramics, such as zirconium boride and
                                                                    hafnium carbide.

                                                                •   The polymer can make ceramic fibers. If the polymer
                                                                    is heated to approximately 50 to 100 degrees Celsius,
          and hydrogen — Gurpreet Singh, Harold O. and Jane
          C. Massey Neff associate professor of mechanical and      it becomes a gel similar to syrup or honey. During this
          nuclear engineering, has created a liquid polymer that    gel state, the polymer can be pulled into strings or
          can transform into a ceramic with valuable thermal,       fibers to create ceramic textiles or ceramic mesh.
          optical and electronic properties. The waterlike polymer,   •   The liquid polymer has processing flexibility. It can
          which  becomes  a  ceramic  when  heated,  also  can  be   be poured into molds and heated to accurately make
          mass-produced. Singh is the lead inventor of the patent,   complex ceramic shapes.
          "Boron-modified silazanes for synthesis of SiBNC ceramics."   •   Because the polymer is a liquid, it is sprayable or can
          Romil Bhandavat, 2013 doctoral graduate in mechanical     be used as a paint to make ceramic coatings. The
          engineering, is a co-inventer.                            ceramic can protect materials underneath or can

          The engineers developed the clear polymer that looks like   create more efficient machinery that works in high-
          water and has the same density and viscosity as water,    temperature environments, such as steam turbines
          unlike some other silicon- and boron-containing polymers.   or jet engine blades. The polymer also may be used
          "We have created a liquid that remains a liquid at room   for 3-D printing of ceramic parts using a benchtop SLA
          temperature and has a longer shelf life than other SiBNC   printer.




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