Effect of Critical Plasma Spray Parameters on Microstructure and Microwave Absorption Property of Ti₃SiC₂/Cordierite Coatings

Ti₃SiC₂/cordierite coatings with different critical plasma spray parameters (CPSP) were fabricated via atmospheric plasma spraying method. The microstructure and phase constitution of the as-sprayed Ti₃SiC₂/cordierite coatings were characterized. The effects of CPSP conditions on the electromagnetic shielding, and dielectric and microwave absorption properties of coatings in the frequency of 8.2-12.4 GHz were also measured and investigated. The results showed that both real and imaginary part of the complex permittivity decrease with increasing CPSP values, which can be ascribed to the decomposition of some Ti₃SiC₂ into TiC. The calculated reflection loss of the as-sprayed Ti₃SiC₂/cordierite coatings with different CPSP conditions and thicknesses indicates that coatings with CPSP 0.3, 0.35, and 0.425 exhibit excellent microwave absorption property in the thickness of 1.5 mm. In order to broaden the bandwidth of the coatings, a double-layer coating system was designed. The calculated reflection loss results show that when the thickness of matching layer is 0.3 mm and the thickness of absorbing layer is 1.5 mm, the double-layer coating system shows a proper microwave absorption property with a minimum absorption value of −17.37 dB at 9.67 GHz and a absorption bandwidth (RL less than −5 dB) of 4.16 GHz in the investigated frequency.