Written for those working in ceramics, materials science and physical chemistry, this volume contains discussion of phase equilibria in the Si-B-C-N system, the synthetic approaches, properties and applications of silicon carbide, and amorphous multinary ceramics in the Si-B-N-C system.

The nitrides and carbides of boron and silicon are proving to be an excellent choice when selecting materials for the design of devices that are to be employed under particularly demanding environmental and thermal con- tions. The high degree of cross-linking, due to the preferred coordination numbers of the predominantly covalently bonded constituents equalling or exceeding three, lends these non-oxidic ceramics a high kinetic stability, and is regarded as the microscopic origin of their impressive thermal and mechanical durability. Thus it does not come as a surprise that the chemistry, the...