Paolo Colombo graduated from the University of Padova, Italy, with a degree in chemical engineering. In 1991 he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for the Pennsylvania State University. He worked as a research associate at the University of Padova before becoming associate professor at the University of Bologna. He is currently also an adjunct professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University. Paolo Colombo's research interests include the development of advanced ceramic materials and components from preceramic polymers as well as the use of hazardous industrial and natural wastes as raw materials for glass products such as foams and fibers.

• Preface viiIntroduction ixSYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATIONPoly[(Silylyne)Ethynylene] and Poly[(Silylene)Ethynylene]: New Precursors for the Efficient Synthesis of Silicon Carbide 3Soichiro Kyushin, Hiroyuki Shiraiwa, Masafumi Kubota, Keisuke Negishi, Kiyohito Okamura, and Kenji SuzukiSynthesis of a Catalyst-Loaded SiC Material from Si-Based Polymer 7Akira Idesaki, Masaki Sugimoto, and Masahito YoshikawaSolid-State NMR Studies on Precursor-Derived Si-B-C-N Ceramics 13Otgontuul Tsetsgee and Klaus MüllerIntermediate-Range Order in Polymer-Route Si-C-0 Fibers by High-Energy X-Ray Diffraction and Reverse Monte Carlo Modelling 33Kentaro Suzuya, Shinji Kohara, Kiyohito Okamura, Hiroshi Ichikawa, and Kenji SuzukiEvaluation of Heat Stability of Si-O-C Fibers Derived from Polymethylsilsesquioxane 39Masaki Narisawa, Ryu-lchi Sumimoto, Ken-Ichiro Kita, Yayoi Satoh, Hiroshi Mabuchi, Young-Wook Kim, Masaki Sugimoto, and Masahito YoshikawaInvestigation of Nano Porous SiC Based Fibers Synthesized by Precursor Method 45Ken'ichiro Kita, Masaki Narisawa, Atsushi Nakahira, Hiroshi Mabuchi, Masayoshi Itoh, Masaki Sugimoto, and Masahito YoshikawaPROCESSING AND APPLICATIONSMullite Monoliths, Coatings and Composites from a Preceramic Polymer Containing Alumina Nano-Sized Particles 53E. Bernardo, G. Parcianello, P. Colombo, J. Adler, and D. BoettgeFunctionally Graded Ceramics Derived from Preceramic Polymers 61Martin Steinau, Nahum Travitzky, Timo Zipperle, and Peter GreilGeneration of Ceramic Layers on Transition Metals via Reaction with SiCN-Precursors 73C. Delpero, W. Krenkel, and G. MotzFacile Ceramic Micro-Structure Generation Using Electrohydrodynamic Processing and Pyrolysis 81Z. Ahmad, M. Nangrejo, U. Farook, E.Stride, M. Edirisinghe, E. Bernardo, and P. ColomboDevelopment of Si-N Based Hydrogen Separation Membrane 87Keita Miyajima, Tomokazu Eda, Haruka Ohta, Yasunori Ando, Shigeo Nagaya, Tomoyuki Ohba, and Yuji IwamotoPorous Polymer Derived Ceramics Decorated with In-Situ Grown Nanowires 95Cekdar Vakifahmetoglu and Paolo ColomboSynthesis of Ceramic Nano Fiber from Precursor Polymer by Single Particle Nano-Fabrication Technique 105Masaki Sugimoto, Akira Idesaki, Masahito Yoshikawa, Shogo Watanabe, and Shu SekiSynthesis of Novel SiBNC Fiber Precursor by a One-Pot Route 111Yun Tang, Jun Wang, Xiao-dong Li, and Yi WangPreparation of SiC Ceramic Fibers Containing CNT 117Xiaodong Li, Haizhe Wang, Dafang Zhao, and Qingling FangPreparation and Properties of Non-Circular Cross-Section SiC Fibers from a Preceramic Polymer 121Wang Yingde, Liu Xuguang, Wanglei, Lan Xinyan, Xue Jingen, Jiang Yonggang, and Zhong WenliEconomy of Fuel Gas in a Combustion Furnace by Means of Si-C-Zr-0 Tyranno-Fiber Mat Sheets Converting High Temperature Gas Enthalpy into Radiant Heat Rays 127Kenji Suzuki, Kiyotaka Ito, Matsumi Tabuchi, and Masaki ShibuyaAuthor Index 137