Patent ID: 8293048

Claim:
A method for synthesizing bulk, composite, and hybrid structures from polymer derived ceramic precursors comprising: providing at least one pre-ceramic white body for transformation into a first polymer derived ceramic; wherein a first pre-ceramic white body of the at least one pre-ceramic white body includes at least a first spongy material having cell pore paths arranged as a hexagonal close pack scaffold with at least a first polymer derived ceramic precursor saturating the cell pore paths of the first spongy material, wherein the cell pore paths of the first spongy material are critically dimensioned such that the critical diameter of the first spongy material cell pore paths is the diameter up to which a solid voxel of the first polymer derived ceramic precursor fits within the first spongy material cell pore path without the first polymer derived ceramic precursor solid voxel catastrophically failing or collapsing during pyrolysis; providing at least one pre-ceramic black body for transformation into a second polymer derived ceramic; wherein a first pre-ceramic black body of the at least one pre-ceramic black body includes at least a second spongy material having cell pore paths arranged as a hexagonal close pack scaffold with at least a second polymer derived ceramic precursor saturating the cell pore paths of the second spongy material, wherein the cell pore paths of the second spongy material are critically dimensioned such that the critical diameter of the second spongy material cell pore paths is the diameter up to which a solid voxel of the second polymer derived ceramic precursor fits within the second spongy material cell pore path without the second polymer derived ceramic precursor solid voxel catastrophically failing or collapsing during pyrolysis; joining the first pre-ceramic black body and the first pre-ceramic white body at an adjoining location to form a unified pre-ceramic structure; curing the unified pre-ceramic structure; and shaping the unified pre-ceramic structure.