Foam-gelcasting preparation of porous SiC ceramic for high-temperature thermal insulation and infrared stealth

Porous SiC ceramics (PSCs) are promising lightweight and efficient thermal insulators that can evade infrared detection by reducing the surface temperature of the protected object, which plays a crucial role in the development of new military equipment. However, the controllable synthesis of PSCs with both hierarchical pore structure and thermal/mechanical stability remains challenging. In this work, such PSCs were prepared by a facile foam-gelcasting/solid-state reaction method, using silicon powders and glucose-derived carbon as starting materials. The favorable dispersibility and wettability of hydrophilic carbon microspheres and the in-situ formed SiC guarantee the highly porous structure (92.8% porosity), comparable bulk density (0.20 g·cm −3 ) and reasonable mechanical property of the product. The designed PSCs performed outstanding high-temperature performance, especially thermal insulation in both oxidizing and inert atmospheres. More importantly, the composite architecture of PSCs and low emissivity layer (Al foil) exhibited desirable infrared stealth property (at a temperature up to 1100 °C), significantly extending the operating temperature range of thermal camouflage material. The unique combination of excellent properties would make PSCs a potential candidate material for future thermal protection and infrared stealth applications in an extreme environment. Graphical abstract