Single-source-precursor synthesis and air-plasma ablation behavior of(Ti,Zr,Hf)C/SiC ceramic nanocomposites at 2200℃

Dense monolithic(Ti,Zr,Hf)C/SiC ceramic nanocomposites with four different molar ratios of metallic elements in the(Ti,Zr,Hf)C phase(i.e.,Ti:Zr:Hf=1:1:1,2:3:5,2:3:3,and 1:2:1)were prepared upon pyrolysis of novel(Ti,Zr,Hf)-containing single-source precursors(SSPs),followed by spark plasma sintering(SPS).A thorough characterization was conducted to elucidate the synthesis of the SSPs,polymer-to-ceramic transformation,chemical/phase compositions,and microstructure of the SiTiZrHfC-based ceramics.The results revealed the feasibility of synthesizing nanocomposites with high(Ti,Zr,Hf)C contents using the SSP method.These nanocomposites were characterized by a unique microstructure with in situ generated(Ti,Zr,Hf)C@C core-shell nanoparticles homogeneously mixed withβ-SiC.The ablation behavior of the nanocomposites was evaluated on an air-plasma device for 60 s.Impressively,the nanocomposites exhibited excellent ablation resistance,and the lowest linear ablation rate reached−0.58μm/s at 2200°C.Notably,the ablation resistance can be dramatically improved by precisely tailoring the atomic ratios of metal elements within the(Ti,Zr,Hf)C phase via the molecular design of the SSPs.The formation of a multiple-oxide layer with both a high-meltingpoint phase((Ti,Zr,Hf)O_(2))and low-melting-point phases((Zr,Hf)TiO_(4))and glassy SiO_(2),as well as their structure,played a critical role in the enhanced ablation resistance.The uniform distribution of the high-melting-point(Ti,Zr,Hf)O_(2)nano/microparticles throughout the glassy SiO_(2)matrix significantly enhanced the viscosity and stability of the oxide layer by the pinning effect,offering superior protection against the ingress of oxygen atoms and excellent resistance to mechanical erosion.