TaSi₂ oxidation protective coating for SiC coated carbon/carbon composites

In order to improve the oxidation protective property of carbon/carbon composites at high temperature, TaSi2 coating was prepared on the surface of SiC coated carbon/carbon composites by pack cementation technique. The crystal structure and morphology of the as-obtained coating was analyzed by XRD and SEM with EDS. The isothermal oxidation test was carried out in air at 1773 K. The results show that the as-prepared coating is composed of SiC, Si and TaSi₂. The multilayer coating is about 200 μm in thickness, and there are no cracks in it. The results of EDS indicate that TaSi₂ can effectively fill the holes of SiC coating. There is no visible interface between the TaSi₂ outer coating and the SiC inner coating. The isothermal oxidation curve of the TaSi₂/SiC coated carbon/carbon composites reveals that the coating can effectively protect carbon/carbon composites for 233 h at 1773 K.