Preparation of a titanium carbide coating on carbon fibre using a molten salt method

A method for preparing protective titanium carbide (TiC) coatings on carbon fibres has been developed using a molten salt synthesis method. The TiC coatings were formed on the surface of carbon fibres in a reaction medium consisting of Ti powder in a mixture of molten LiCl–KCl–KF salts under an argon atmosphere at 900 and 950 °C. The structure and morphology of the TiC coatings were characterized by XRD, SEM and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyses. The coatings consisted of homogeneous single phase cubic TiC with thicknesses in the range of 60–800 nm. Variation of the synthesis time and reaction mixture was found to significantly affect the thickness and integrity of the TiC coating although variation of the reaction temperature had little effect. The coating thickness was closely related to the composition of the molten salts and to the molar ratio between the carbon fibre and titanium.