Insulating Materials and Precursor Formulations, and Method of Forming

Methods were developed for forming an insulating material that combines a polysilazane, a cross-linking compound, and a gas-generating compound to form a reaction mixture, and curing the reaction mixture to form a modified polysilazane. The gas-generating compound may be water, an alcohol, an amine, or a matrix comprising one of a reaction product of a polysilazane and an isocyanate, and a reaction product of a polysilazane and an epoxy resin. The matrix also comprises a plurality of interconnected pores produced from a reaction of the polysilazane and the epoxy resin.