Kendall Hendrix / Chemistry & Biochemistry / Faculty Mentor: Peter Kroll
Hafnium carbide has the highest known melting point of any material in the world, making it particularly interesting to fields such as space travel and nuclear energy. The first commercially available single source polymeric precursor for the production of HfC ceramics, called SHP-199, produces HfC ceramics starting at 850 °C, with crystalline phases emerging at 1600 °C. Although this method of synthesis of HfC is far more convenient than traditional synthetic routes, the resulting ceramic is very delicate, making it difficult to envision its usefulness in extreme environments. The chemical structure of the polymer, containing an alkyne within the Hf-C backbone and hydroxyl groups on each Hf atom, is well-equipped for reactions with other compounds. SHP-199 readily reacts with some silicon-containing crosslinkers, yielding composite materials with greater mechanical properties than just the polymer alone.
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