Evolution of In-Situ Nano-Pores during Friction Stir Processing of Polymer Derived Ceramic Reinforced Metal Matrix Composites

Nano-porous ceramics have potential applications as diverse as biomedical implants, catalysis, and armors. This work shows that insitu Nano-porous Polymer Derived Ceramics (PDC) can be produced in Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) using solid state Friction Stir Processing (FSP). Direct insertion of cross-linked polymer into the metal by FSP in solid state is a significant step toward inserting different chemistry of polymer precursors to generate a variety of in-situ porous structures in Polymer Derived (PD)-MMC. The PDC route is an efficient and cost effective way to produce SiCNbased PD-MMC and tailored pore architecture suitable for high temperature applications. Microstructural observations indicate a uniform distribution of ~100 nm size pores in the ceramic phase after pyrolysis.