Fabrication of protective tantalum carbide coatings on carbon fibers using a molten salt method

Protective tantalum carbide (TaC) coatings were fabricated successfully on carbon fibers in the temperature range of 950–1100 °C using a molten salt method. A salt mixture composed of LiCl–KCl–KF was used as a reaction medium in which the tantalum and the carbon fiber substrates reacted to form the TaC coatings. The structure and morphology of the TaC coatings were characterized by XRD, SEM and EDX analyses. The results show that the reaction temperature and time have significant influence on the thickness, integrity and surface morphology of the TaC coatings. A uniform, adherent and crack-free TaC coating can be obtained by controlling the reaction temperature and time. Thermo-gravimetric analysis indicated that the oxidation resistance of the carbon fibers was improved remarkably by coating them with a high-quality TaC layer.