Oxidation protection of carbon fibers by a reaction sintered nanostructured SiC coating

A nanostructured SiC coating was prepared on the surface of carbon fibers by slurry coating and in situ reaction sintering. Phases of the coating were identified by X-ray diffraction, and features and structure were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The oxidation resistant properties of the carbon fibers with and without the SiC coating were studied using isothermal oxidation. The results show that the nanostructured SiC coating was uniform and its coverage was complete. The oxidation activation energy of the fibers increased about 25% and the oxidation resistant of the coated fibers increases significantly. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.