Effects of hafnium sources and hafnium content on the structures and properties of SiBNC–Hf ceramic precursors

The synthesis of SiBNC–M (M is metal element) multinary ceramic precursors has mainly been through chemical modification of the SiBNC ceramic precursors with the introduction of the metal element/compound. This misses the simplicity, efficiency, and combined benefits of single reactor synthesis routes. We herein adopt a one‐pot method to synthesize SiBNC–Hf ceramic precursors (PBSHZ) from different Hf sources, and with varying Hf content. The starting materials include hafnium tetrachloride, hafnium dichloride, trichlorosilane, hexamethyldisilazane, and boron trichloride. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and thermogravimetric analysis are employed to characterize the structures and properties of the PBSHZ. The results reveal the successful incorporation of Hf into the precursors. Compared to the hafnium tetrachloride source, the precursor synthesized from hafnium dichloride yields more ceramics and shows better solubility, due to fewer Hf–Cl bonds available for reaction. Meanwhile, there is a positive correlation between the rise in the Hf content of PBSHZ and the ceramic yield. However, the solubility and processability of the precursors decline, due to the multiplication of the cross‐linking degree in the molecular structure. Further FT‐IR, NMR, XPS, and thermogravimetry–mass spectrometry (TG–MS) analysis indicate a full polymer‐to‐ceramic transformation at 1000°C pyrolysis temperature. At this point, the SiBNC–Hf ceramics mainly consist of an Si–B–N skeleton, HfN, and free carbon.