11B and 15N solid state NMR investigation of a boron nitride preceramic polymer prepared by ammonolysis of borazine

A poly(aminoborazine), precursor for hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) obtained by reaction of borazine B3N3H6 with ammonia, and its pyrolysis derivatives have been extensively characterised by N-15 and B-11 MAS NMR. The various B and N sites have been identified according to their first neighbouring atoms, as well as to the second ones in the case of N-15, and have also been quantified. This study demonstrates that a suitable choice of NMR techniques together with the use of isotopic enrichment can lead to a large improvement in spectral resolution, which allows a better understanding of such complex BN preceramic polymer structures and permits to follow the polymer-to-ceramic transformation. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.