SiC nanowire-toughened MoSi2–SiC coating to protect carbon/carbon composites against oxidation

To protect carbon/carbon (C/C) composites against oxidation, a SiC nanowire-toughened MoSi2–SiC coating was prepared on them using a two-step technique of chemical vapor deposition and pack cementation. SiC nanowires obtained by chemical vapor deposition were distributed random-orientedly on C/C substrates and MoSi2–SiC was filled in the holes of SiC nanowire layer to form a dense coating. After introduction of SiC nanowires, the size of the cracks in MoSi2–SiC coating decreased from 18 ± 2.3 to 6 ± 1.7 μm, and the weight loss of the coated C/C samples decreased from 4.53% to 1.78% after oxidation in air at 1500 °C for 110 h.