Fabrication of highly porous SiC fiber mat for gas burner media application having well dispersed palladium nano catalyst

This study presents a processing strategy for effectively anchoring palladium nanoparticles onto porous SiC fiber mats. Polycarbosilane served as an anchoring medium, with Pd acetylacetonate premixed and coated onto CVD-treated fiber substrates. Pre-oxidation samples exhibited significant particle coarsening and embedment within a dense, catalytically inactive SiO₂-rich matrix. In contrast, direct pyrolysis in air at 1200 °C produced uniformly distributed nanoparticles stabilized within an amorphous SiOC coating. These non-pre-oxidation samples showed clear activity in CO chemisorption tests, attributed to a porous matrix that preserved accessibility and distribution of active sites. Supported by TG–DTA, XRD, and TEM analyses, these results demonstrate a practical route to achieving nanoscale metal anchoring on fiber supports and highlight the microstructural tunability of polymer derived ceramic based catalytic systems.