Effects of corona size on the rheology and ceramic yield of preceramic polymer grafted nanoparticles

Abstract Preceramic polymers (PCPs) enable the preparation of advanced ceramic components and composites through mild polymer processing methods. The functionalization of PCPs onto inorganic cores yields polymer‐grafted nanoparticles (GNPs), materials that combine the processability of PCPs with greater tunability and increased mass/volume retention upon pyrolysis from the ceramic cores. Recent efforts have explored varying the corona repeat unit and inorganic core compositions to allow for control over rheology, ceramic yield, and final ceramic composition. Herein, we investigate the role of corona mass/volume fraction on the properties of a model silica‐based GNP system. It was found that increasing corona size improves flowability and stability/shelf‐life at the cost of decreasing ceramic yield. Additionally, it was observed that GNP rheological properties can be tuned via changing the corona fraction or blending with free (unbound) PCPs. From these results, GNPs can be better implemented in novel applications (e.g., additive manufacturing) in either their neat state or formulations.