Preparation of TiO<sub>2 </sub>Coatings on Carbon Fibers

Carbon fibers have been TiO 2 coated. Previously, the carbon fiber surface has been heat-treated to remove the sizing. The TiO 2 layer has been formed on the fiber surface using the sol-gel technique by immersion in a solution. After coating, the samples have been dried at room temperature and annealed at 500 °C in air for 30 minutes. The phase composition of the coating obtained has been studied using X-ray diffraction. X-ray diffraction analysis of the coating and sol has shown that the rutile phase and the average size of TiO 2 crystallites grow with an increase in the annealing temperature. The results of studying TiO 2 coating antioxidative properties within 500-800 °C are given. Studying the morphology of the TiO 2 coating on the fiber surface and the burnout rate (weight change) have shown that the coating exhibits good oxidation resistance up to 600 °C.