Synthesis of silicon nitride based ceramic nanoparticles by the pyrolysis of silazane block copolymer micelles

Diblock copolymer poly(1,1,3,N,N′‐pentamethyl‐3‐vinylcyclodisilazane)‐block‐polystyrene (polyVSA‐b‐polySt) and triblock copolymer poly(1,1,3,N,N′‐pentamethyl‐3‐vinylcyclodisilazane)‐block‐polystyrene‐block‐poly(1,1,3,N,N′‐pentamethyl‐3‐vinylcyclodisilazane) (polyVSA‐b‐polySt‐b‐polyVSA), consisting of silazane and nonsilazane segments, were prepared by the living anionic polymerization of 1,1,3,N,N′‐pentamethyl‐3‐vinylcyclodisilazane and styrene. PolyVSA‐b‐polySt formed micelles having a poly(1,1,3,N,N′‐pentamethyl‐3‐vinylcyclodisilazane) (polyVSA) core in N,N‐dimethylformamide, whereas polyVSA‐b‐polySt and polyVSA‐b‐polySt‐b‐polyVSA formed micelles having a polyVSA shell in n‐heptane. The micelles with a polyVSA core were core‐crosslinked by UV irradiation in the presence of diethoxyacetophenone as a photosensitizer, and the micelles with a polyVSA shell were shell‐crosslinked by UV irradiation in the presence of diethoxyacetophenone and 1,6‐hexanedithiol. These crosslinked micelles were pyrolyzed at 600 °C in N₂ to give spherical ceramic particles. The pyrolysis process was examined by thermogravimetry and thermogravimetry/mass spectrometry. The morphologies of the particles were analyzed by atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The chemical composition of the pyrolysis products was analyzed by X‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy and Raman scattering spectroscopy. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 4696–4707, 2006