Abstract:
Methods, systems, and processes are used to prepare strong, durable, light-weight, mirrors, aspheric mirrors, disk drives and component parts using polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs), such as silicon oxycarbide (SioC) as a substrate for the mirror blank or disk drive. Very high performance mirrors and machine components are produced at much lower costs; thus increasing their usage in applications as varied as extra-terrestrial space applications to machine vision used by robots to stationary terrestrial mirrors and machines.
Abstract:
Methods for producing Polymer Derived Ceramic (PDCs) particles and bulk ceramic components and compositions from partially cured gelatinous polymer ceramic precursors and unique bulk composite PDC ceramics and unique PDC ceramic particles in size and composition. Methods of making fully dense PDCs over approximately 2 μm to approximately 300 mm in diameter for applications such as but not limited to proppants, hybrid ball bearings, catalysts, and the like. Methods can include emulsion processes or spray processes to produce PDCs. The ceramic particles and compositions can be shaped and chemically and materially augmented with enhancement particles in the liquid resin or gelatinous polymeric state before being pyrolyzed into ceramic components. The resulting ceramic components have a very smooth surface and are fully dense, not porous as ceramic components from the sol-gel process.
Abstract:
Methods, processes, and systems for producing bulk ceramics from agglomerations of partially cured gelatinous polymer ceramic precursor resin droplets, without using sponge materials to form gas pathways in the polymer bodies. Ceramics can be formed in hours. Resin droplets can be produced with a sprayer where liquid polymer precursors, mixed with a curing agent, are sprayed forming droplets which are partially cured, collected, and compressed into shapes. Ceramic porosity can be varied, droplet particle sizes can be controlled by adjusting liquid and gas pressure, orifice size, during spraying. Partially cured droplets can be formed via an emulsion process and size controlled by emulsion liquid and surfactant selection parameters.