Reactive synthesis of ZrC-ZrSi2 composite coating by atmospheric plasma spraying

In-situ reaction between zirconium and silicon carbide was introduced to atmospheric plasma spraying process to prepare ZrC-ZrSi2 composite coating. The in-situ fabricated ZrC-ZrSi2 composite coating was featured with dense microstructure and promising mechanical properties. Well-arranged whiskers and nanosized spheric grains were observed in the as-prepared composite coating. Water-quenching experiment was conducted to investigate the formation mechanism of the target phase (ZrC and ZrSi2) and the final coating. This work validated the feasibility of preparing ZrC composite coating using Zr-SiC reactive system and furthermore, gave references for preparing ultra-high temperature ceramic coatings by reactive synthesis method.