Preparation of conductive Si/C/N/Ni ceramic nanocomposites using phenyl-substituted polysilazane and nickelocene as precursors

In this study, a conductive Si/C/N/Ni nanocomposite was prepared using phenyl-substituted polysilazane and nickelocene (NiCp2) as precursors. Ni-related nanoparticles were uniformly distributed throughout the Si/C/N/Ni nanocomposite without aggregation because of the large number of nitrogen atoms in the silsesquiazane used as a precursor of the matrix. In addition, the nickel silicide crystalline phase and turbostratic carbon phase grew in the matrix of the Si/C/N/Ni nanocomposite at low temperatures because NiCp2 acted as a catalyst. Moreover, NiCp2 contributed to the increase in the turbostratic carbon crystallinity through the dehydrogenation reaction, resulting in an improved electrical conductivity of the Si/C/N/Ni nanocomposite.