초록
A pure hafnium-carbide (HfC) coating layer was deposited onto carbon/carbon (C.C) composites using a vacuum plasma spray system. By adopting a SiC buffer layer, we successfully integrated C.C composites with a $100-{\mu}m-thick$ protective coating layer of HfC. Compared to the conventional chemical vapor deposition process, the HfC coating process by VPS showed increased growth rate, thickness, and hardness. The growth behavior and morphology of HfC coatings were investigated by FE-SEM, EDX, and XRD. From these results, it was shown that the addition of a SiC intermediate layer provided optimal surface conditions during the VPS procedure to enhance adhesion between C.C and HfC (without delamination). The thermal ablation test results shows that the HfC coating layer perfectly protected inner C.C layer from thermal ablation and oxidation. Consequently, we expect that this ultra-high temperature ceramic coating method, and the subsequent microstructure that it creates, can be widely applied to improve the thermal shock and oxidation resistance of materials under ultra-high temperature environments.