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 15N and 11B 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 15N, 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.