Enhancing anti-oxidation and thermal-radiation performance of the repaired borosilicate glass coating on C/C composites by Sm-doping

To repair the damaged SiC coated C/C composites, a double-layer system including a Sm-doped borosilicate glass external layer and a Si–SiC inner layer was prepared by a slurry-based laser cladding technique. Isothermal oxidation experiment and indirect/direct thermal-radiation measurements were performed. The results showed that the absorbance of borosilicate glass to the laser at 900–1200 nm was improved significantly by Sm-doping. Consequently, the repaired coating with a more compact structure and better oxidation resistance was obtained. After oxidation at 1773 K for 10 h, the mass loss of the damaged sample could be reduced by 74.98% with repairing. By increasing laser-absorption and reducing viscosity, the thermal-radiation property of the repaired coating was enhanced to decrease the surface temperature greatly. A repair system with excellent thermal protection performance was achieved.