Patent ID: 7708934

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a precursor ceramic, comprising: providing a mixture of elementorganic precursor polymers and carbon nanotubes; the elementorganic precursor polymers selected from the group consisting of polysilazanes, polycarbosilanes, polysiloxanes, polysilanes and polyborazanes; and performing a pyrolysis of the mixture of the elementorganic precursor polymers and the carbon nanotubes to form the precursor ceramic, wherein the carbon nanotubes are bonded to the precursor ceramic, the bonding occurring in such a way that the quantity of free carbon forming in decomposition of the elementorganic precursor polymers is adjusted in such a way that a carbon concentration in the precursor ceramic ranges from approximately stoichiometric to moderately hypostoichiometric, wherein the carbon concentration in the precursor ceramic ranges from approximately 15% excess carbon to approximately 50% carbon deficiency.