Short communicationSynthesis of ZrB2-SiC nanocomposite powder via polymeric precursor route

Zirconium diboride/silicon carbide (ZrB2-SiC) nanocomposite powder, wherein each and every particle is a nanocomposite, was successfully synthesized by pyrolyzing a hybrid polymeric precursor produced from a Zr-containing precursor and a solid polycarbosilane precursor. The synthesis and ceramic conversion of the hybrid precursor was studied by thermal gravimetric analysis-differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis. The microstructure of the obtained nanocomposite powder was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The resulting powder was found to consist of uniformly distributed highly spherical ZrB2 nanoparticles embedded within the SiC matrix, which demonstrated the success of the proposed synthesis route. Thus, in this study, a different perspective was used in synthesizing ZrB2-SiC nanocomposites, which act as potential candidates for aerospace applications.