Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 February 2011
Polymers that can be easily processed into fibers, films, or bodies areexcellent precursors for ceramics with useful morphologies. The idealpreceramic polymer not only has proper physical properties (e.g. solubilityor fusibility) for processibility but also decomposes at low temperaturewith high ceramic yield. One possibility for such precursors for yttria areyttrium oxycarboxylates. The preparation of such polymers from YOC1 has beeninvestigated and several compounds with useful physical properties have beendiscovered. These include a methanol-soluble yttrium oxycarboxylate, (CH3OCH2CH2OCH2CO2YO)na liquid yttrium tricarboxylate, (CH3OCH2CH2OCH2CO2)3Y,and a method for preparing very concentrated yttrium mixed acetate andformate sols.