Polymer‐Derived Ceramics: 40 Years of Research and Innovation in Advanced Ceramics

Preceramic polymers were proposed over 30 years ago as precursors for the fabrication of mainly Si‐based advanced ceramics, generally denoted as polymer‐derived ceramics (PDCs). The polymer to ceramic transformation process enabled significant technological breakthroughs in ceramic science and technology, such as the development of ceramic fibers, coatings, or ceramics stable at ultrahigh temperatures (up to 2000°C) with respect to decomposition, crystallization, phase separation, and creep. In recent years, several important advances have been achieved such as the discovery of a variety of functional properties associated with PDCs. Moreover, novel insights into their structure at the nanoscale level have…