Facile Fabrication of Ceramic-resin Coatings on C/CA Composites for Oxidation Protection at Medium Temperatures

doi:10.15541/jim20250103

Abstract

Abstract:

Carbon fiber-reinforced carbon aerogel (C/CA) composites are one of the most promising candidates for applications requiring both thermal insulation and load bearing capabilities. The preparation of anti-oxidation coatings on C/CA to address its susceptibility to oxidation is a feasible approach to promote its application in oxidative environments. However, the currently reported coatings on C/CA mainly focus on improving the ablation performance and coating preparation process typically necessitating high-temperature heat treatment. This procedure can increase its thermal conductivity and reduce its thermal insulation ability. In this study, a series of ceramic-resin coatings were fabricated on C/CA through a simple slurry brushing-drying approach at room temperature. The effects of phenolic resin content on the coating structure, residual stress, thermal shock, and oxidation behaviors were investigated. Due to the adhesive properties and curing-induced shrinkage, the PR-7.5 coating (containing 7.5% (in mass) phenolic resin in the slurry) exhibits bonding strength close to fracture strength of the substrate and residual compressive stress of 0.853 GPa, which is beneficial for resisting thermal shock cracking. However, excessive resin content (PR-10.0 containing 10.0% (in mass) phenolic resin in the slurry) induces tensile stress due to uneven curing shrinkage, thereby leading to thermal shock cracking. Meanwhile, oxidation tests reveal significantly reduced weight losses for PR-7.5 (17.46% at 800 ℃/100 min, 8.15% at 1000 ℃/120 min, 3.15% at 1200 ℃/120 min) versus uncoated C/CA’s 44.60% loss at 800 ℃/20 min. This work provides a brand-new and simple approach to improving the anti-oxidation performance of C/CA and expands its application in mild oxidative environments.

Key words: C/CA composite, coating, oxidation, residual stress, interfacial bonding

CLC Number:

TQ174

TIAN Hongwang, LUO Longfei, HU Chenglong, YAN Meng, PANG Shengyang, LI Jian, TANG Sufang. Facile Fabrication of Ceramic-resin Coatings on C/CA Composites for Oxidation Protection at Medium Temperatures[J]. Journal of Inorganic Materials, 2026, 41(3): 401-408.

Figures/Tables 15

Fig. 1 Surface and cross-sectional morphologies of (a) PR-0, (b) PR-5.0, (c) PR-7.5, and (d) PR-10.0 Insets showing the corresponding cross-sectional morphologies

Fig. 2 Weight loss of C/CA with different coatings during thermal shock at 1200 ℃

Fig. 3 (a-d) Surface morphologies of PR-0, PR-5.0, PR-7.5, and PR-10.0 after thermal shock; (c1-c3) Surface microstructures under high magnification and corresponding elemental analyses; (e, e1) Cross-sectional morphologies of PR-7.5

Fig. 4 (a) XRD patterns near 2θ=39° of different coatings, and (b) residual stress of the coating calculated according to the shift of diffraction peaks in (a)

Fig. 5 Weight loss of the C/CA with PR-7.5 during oxidation at 800-1200 ℃

Fig. 6 Surface morphologies of the oxidized PR-7.5 at (a) 800, (b) 1000 and (c) 1200 ℃

Fig. S1 Macrophotograph of the coated C/CA panel with a size of 300 mm×300 mm×25 mm

Fig. S2 XRD patterns of C/CA without and with different coatings

Fig. S3 Macroscopic surface morphologies of the different coatings after thermal shock from 1200 ℃ to room temperature (a) PR-0; (b) PR-5.0; (c) PR-7.5; (d) PR-10.0

Fig. S4 Thermogravimetric analyses of ceramics in the coating

Fig. S5 (a, b) Surface morphologies of the sample after the tensile test, and (c) tensile curves of the C/CA substrate and the coated C/CA

Table S1 Fitting results of oxidation kinetics equation parameters of PR-0, PR-5.0, PR-7.5, and PR-10.0 at 800, 1000 and 1200 ℃

Temperature/℃	Sample	a/(×10^-2, min^-1)	b	R²	k/(×10^-3, s^-1)	lnk
800	PR-0	43.45	-4.305	0.9974	7.2417	-4.9279
	PR-5.0	35.9	8.9301	0.9996	5.9833	-5.1188
	PR-7.5	17.42	-1.3518	0.9974	2.9033	-5.8419
	PR-10.0	40.84	8.8932	0.9948	6.8067	-4.9899
1000	PR-0	66.32	-4.2528	0.9999	11.0533	-4.5050
	PR-5.0	8.75	0.9611	0.9611	1.4583	-6.5305
	PR-7.5	5.15	0.8934	0.8934	0.8583	-7.0605
	PR-10.0	18.68	5.5384	0.9951	3.1133	-5.7721
1200	PR-0	81.66	-9.239	0.9996	13.61	-4.2970
	PR-5.0	10.72	6.0556	0.8625	1.7867	-6.3274
	PR-7.5	2.37	0.0858	0.9112	0.395	-7.8366
	PR-10.0	35.01	3.0509	0.9928	5.835	-5.1439

Fig. S6 Weight loss of the C/CA with different coatings under oxidation tests in the temperature range of 800-1200 ℃ (a) PR-0; (b) PR-5.0; (c) PR-7.5; (d) PR-10.0

Fig. S7 Oxidation rate curves with 1/T for the different coated C/CA

Fig. S8 (a) Cross-sectional microstructure of PR-7.5 and (b, c) elemental line scanning of C and Si in (a)

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