Alleviating delamination of Ti2AlC coating upon oxidation at 600 °C with heavy incorporation of TiC

To alleviate the delamination of Ti2AlC-rich coating upon oxidation at 600 °C, a 270 μm thick TiC-Ti2AlC composite coating was prepared by plasma spraying the Ti2AlC MAX powders onto Inconel substrates. Thermal decomposition of Ti2AlC during spray introduced heavy content of TiC in the coating. These TiC-Ti2AlC coatings’ morphology, crystalline structure and microstructure as a function of oxidation temperature from 200 to 1000 °C were investigated under scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction and optical microscope. The coating adhered strongly to the substrate throughout the entire temperature range without delamination, demonstrating decent oxidation resistance of the TiC-Ti2AlC composite coating and the viability of TiC as a beneficial secondary reinforcement phase.