Microstructure and ablation performance of HfC/PyC core-shell structure nanowire-reinforced Hf1-xZrxC coating

Abstract To improve the ablation performance of C/C composites, HfC/PyC core-shell structure nanowire (HfCnw/PyC)-reinforced Hf1-xZrxC coating was prepared via three-step chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. Effects of HfCnw/PyC and PyC layer thickness on the microstructure, residual stress and ablation performance of Hf1-xZrxC coating were studied. HfCnw/PyC-reinforced coatings exhibited equiaxial crystal structure. After incorporating HfCnw/PyC, ablation property of Hf1-xZrxC coating was enhanced because of the skeleton role of HfO2 nanowires. PyC possessed low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and high heat conductivity, but poor ablation performance. Hence, with the increase in thickness of PyC layer, ablation property of the coating first increased and then decreased. HfCnw/PyC-reinforced Hf1-xZrxC coating with PyC layer thickness of about 50 nm exhibited the best ablation property.