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Structural, Thermal, Electrical, and Electrochemical Properties of Novel Ceramics

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Advanced and Functional Ceramics and Glasses".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2025 | Viewed by 469

Special Issue Editors

Division of Materials Chemistry, Laboratory for Functional Materials, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: oxide glasses and glass-ceramics; impedance spectroscopy; melt-quenching; (micro)structural characterization; structure and transport properties; crystallization; ceramics; biomaterials; dental materials; thin films; charge carrier dynamics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are excited to invite contributions to a Special Issue of MDPI’s Materials, entitled “Structural, Thermal, Electrical and Electrochemical Properties of Novel Ceramics”. This Special Issue eagerly welcomes novel manuscripts dealing with previously unpublished advances in multifaceted characteristics and unveiling potential applications of advanced materials in the realm of ceramic nanocomposites.

These materials offer a unique combination of properties that span structural features, thermal characteristics, electrical conductivity, and electrochemical performance. Delving into the intricate interplay between the microstructure, composition, and processing techniques to engineer materials with tailored functionalities is crucial for harnessing the full potential of these materials. Advances in the area will help to unlock new avenues for innovation in diverse fields such as energy storage, catalysis, sensing, and electronic devices.

The objective of this SI is to consolidate findings pertaining to the synthesis of and enhanced preparation techniques for novel ceramic nanocomposites, structural and morphological characteristics, and with micro(structure)–property correlations. Furthermore, this compilation aims to elucidate potential applications of these nanocomposite materials.

Dr. Luka Pavic
Dr. Jana Pisk
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ceramics
  • nanocomposites
  • structure–property correlation
  • characterization methods
  • electrical properties
  • electrochemical properties
  • application

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 7854 KiB  
Article
Understanding Polysiloxane Polymer to Amorphous SiOC Conversion During Pyrolysis Through ReaxFF Simulation
by Kathy Lu and Harrison Chaney
Materials 2025, 18(7), 1412; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18071412 - 22 Mar 2025
Viewed by 173
Abstract
A significant challenge during the polymer-to-ceramic pyrolysis conversion is to understand the polymer-to-ceramic atomic evolution and correlate the composition changes with the precursor molecular structures, pyrolysis conditions, and resulting ceramic characteristics. In this study, a Reactive Force Field (ReaxFF) simulation approach has been [...] Read more.
A significant challenge during the polymer-to-ceramic pyrolysis conversion is to understand the polymer-to-ceramic atomic evolution and correlate the composition changes with the precursor molecular structures, pyrolysis conditions, and resulting ceramic characteristics. In this study, a Reactive Force Field (ReaxFF) simulation approach has been used to simulate silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) ceramic formation from four different polysiloxane precursors. For the first time, we show atomically that pyrolysis time and temperature proportionally impact the new Si-O rich and C rich cluster sizes as well as the composition separation of Si-O from C. Polymer side groups have a more complex effect on the Si-O and C cluster separation and growth, with ethyl group leading to the most Si-O cluster separation and phenyl group leading to the most C cluster separation. We also demonstrate never-before correlations of gas release with polymer molecular structures and functional groups. CH4, C2H6, C2H4, and H2 are preferentially released from the pyrolyzing systems. The sequence is determined by the polymer molecular structures. This work is the first to atomically illustrate the innate correlations between the polymer precursors and pyrolyzed ceramics. Full article
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