Time and Temperature Dependent Property of a Sensor Candidate Material: Polymer Derived Ceramics (PDC)

The piezoresistivity and the micro fabrication capability have made the polymer derived ceramics (PDCs) an excellent candidate material for high temperature sensors. In this study, it was found that PDCs also exhibit creep and stress relaxation properties. Its electric resistance may change with time under certain loading conditions. In addition, the creep/stress relaxation rate is sensitive to temperature. It is demonstrated that even PDC materials have been processed at high temperatures and formed ceramic structure, they retain certain polymeric characteristics. Due to the piezoresistivity properties of PDC and its resilience to harsh environment, in particular, the predicted resistance to radiation field, the PDC based sensors are ideal for use as sensing media that can be deployed to important to safety (ITS) structures in nuclear systems, such as cooling water system and coolant pumps in light water reactors (LWRs).