Oxidation protection of C/SiC coated carbon/carbon composites with Si-Mo coating at high temperature

To protect carbon/carbon (C/C) composites against oxidation, a Si-Mo coating was prepared on C/SiC-coated C/C composites by a simple slurry method. The microstructure of the coating was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectra. Results showed that the coating was mainly composed of SiC, MoSi₂ and Si. It could protect C/C composites from oxidation at 1873K in air for 300h and withstand 13 thermal cycles between room temperature and 1873K. The excellent oxidation and thermal shock resistance of the coating was attributed to the formation of dense SiO₂ glass at high temperature. The volatilization of MoO₃ and SiO₂ at 1873K was the main reason of the weight loss of the coated C/C composites.