Investigation of scale formation and degeneration of silicide coating on Nb–Si based alloy in the temperature range from 1250 °C to 1560 °C

Abstract

Nb silicide coatings modified with active elements have good oxidation resistance, but there is a lack of systematic research on their oxidation behavior at high temperatures above 1250 °C. The aim of this work is to investigate the oxidation behavior of an Al–Y modified silicide coating on Nb–Si based alloy in the temperature range from 1250 °C to 1560 °C. After oxidation at 1250 °C, the scale displays a typical layered structure consisting mainly of a TiO2 outer layer, an amorphous SiO2 matrix layer embedded with TiO2 and ZrSiO4, and an inner layer consisting of SiO2 and Cr2O3. Above 1350 °C, the evaporation reaction of Cr2O3 into CrO3 (g) is significantly accelerated and Cr2O3 disappeared gradually with temperature or time. The TiO2 layers covering on the scales formed at 1250–1500 °C grow along the crystallographic orientation of [100]. The micropores formed on the surface of TiO2 should be attributed to the further oxidation of Cr2O3 into volatile oxide CrO3 (g). The scales exhibit a similar structure consisting mainly of a SiO2 glass matrix embedded with ZrSiO4 and a surface TiO2 layer until 1500 °C. Above the eutectic temperature of SiO2–TiO2 system, the scale is mainly composed of a matrix layer of SiO2–TiO2 eutectic embedded with block TiO2 particles, and a thin SiO2 interface layer at 1560 °C. The degeneration path of the (Nb,X)Si2 coating is (Nb,X)Si2 → (Ti,Nb)5Si4 → γ-(Nb,X)5Si3.