Preparation of TiO₂Coatings on Carbon Fibers

Abstract

Carbon fibers have been TiO2 coated. Previously, the carbon fiber surface has been heat-treated to remove the sizing. The TiO2 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 TiO2 crystallites grow with an increase in the annealing temperature. The results of studying TiO2 coating antioxidative properties within 500-800 °C are given. Studying the morphology of the TiO2 coating on the fiber surface and the burnout rate (weight change) have shown that the coating exhibits good oxidation resistance up to 600 °C.