Corrosion protection of SiC-based ceramics with CVDMullite coatings

Abstract

Silicon carbide ceramics are the leading candidate materials for use as heat exchangers in advanced combined cycle power plants because of their unique combination of high temperature strength, high thermal conductivity, excellent thermal shock resistance, and good high temperature stability and oxidation resistance. Ceramic coatings are being considered for diesel engine cylinder liners, piston caps, valve faces and seats, piston rings, and for turbine components such as combustors, blades, stators, seals, and bearings. Under such conditions ceramics are better suited to high temperature environments than metals. For the first time, adherent crystalline mullite coatings have been chemically vapor deposited onto SiC substrates to enhance its corrosion/oxidation resistance. Thermodynamic and kinetic considerations have been utilized to produce mullite coatings with a variety of growth rates, compositions, and morphologies. The flexibility of processing can be exploited to produce coated ceramics with properties tailored to specific applications and varied corrosive environments. These corrosive environments include thermal, Na{sub 2}SO{sub 4}, O{sub 2} and coal slag.