Optimization of C/TiCx duplex diffusion barrier coatings for SiCf/Ti composites based on interfacial structure evolution exploration

Abstract

Introducing a carbon single coating is a popular method used to protect SiCf/Ti composites from severe interface reactions. However, carbon coatings lose their protective effect on SiC fibres at high temperature, even after a short period time. As such, given the strong demand for high temperature applications in aeronautics and astronautics a more coating which is more effective at high temperatures is desirable. In order to improve the high temperature interfacial stability of SiCf/Ti composites, a C/TiCx duplex coating system with different C contents in TiCx was introduced to explore the protection of fibres at 1200 °C for 1 h. The results show that the C/quasi-stoichiometric TiC coating system protects the SiC fibres most effectively. Based on insights from the evolution of the interface structure, TiCx has been identified as an interfacial reaction product from the C single coating, exhibiting a gradient in C content and grain size, which is different from a deposited TiC layer with a well-distributed composition and structure. The different coating structure gives rise to different ability to resist C diffusion at high temperatures, in which poor resistance ability appears in TiCx interfacial reaction layer coming from C single coating due to short-circuit diffusion in C-rich fine-grained TiC layer and fast intracrystalline diffusion trigged by amounts of vacancies in sub-stoichiometric coarse-grained TiC layer. Therefore, C/quasi-stoichiometric TiC duplex coatings with a thick, coarse-grained quasi-stoichiometric TiC layer could effectively inhibit C diffusion by comparison to C single coatings, and is more effective than C/rich-carbon TiC duplex coatings due to the existence of short-circuit diffusion in the latter. As such, C/quasi-stoichiometric TiC duplex coatings appear to be an optimal diffusion barrier for SiCf/Ti composites at high temperature.