Synthesis of Ceramic Nanocomposite Powders with in situ Formation of Nanowires/Nanobelts

A significant challenge in synthesizing nanowire/nanobelt-reinforced ceramic nanocomposites is to uniformly disperse these reinforcements. Here, we report the synthesis of amorphous silicon carbonitride powders containing in situ-formed single-crystal Si3N4 nanowires and nanobelts via the catalyst-assisted pyrolysis of a polymeric precursor. The nanowires/nanobelts are uniformly dispersed within the powder matrix. The ratio of nanomaterials to powder can be controlled by tailoring the experimental conditions. The novel powders could be useful for fabricating nanowire/nanobelt-reinforced ceramic nanocomposites.