Ablation behavior and mechanisms of 3D C_f/ZrB₂-SiC composite applied in long-term temperature up to 2400 °C

To evaluate the long-term ablation behavior and mechanism of carbon fiber reinforced ultra-high temperature ceramics, 3D C_f/ZrB₂-SiC composite with homogeneous architecture was prepared via vibration-assisted slurry impregnation combined with precursor infiltration and pyrolysis. The intact structure of sample was remained owing to the triple oxide layers after ablation at T_max = 2440 °C for 500 s, a dense ZrO₂ layer owing to particle accumulation and sintering, followed by a dense SiO₂+ZrO₂ layer due to inhibition in diffusion of glassy SiO₂ and next porous ZrO₂ layer, leading to superior ablation resistance with linear and mass ablation rates of 1.8 × 10⁻⁴ mm/s and 1.08 × 10^-5 g/mm²·s, respectively.