LAUSR

Abstract For high-temperature applications, poor oxidation performance of Ta–Hf–C ternary ceramics is an important life-limiting factor. In this work, the oxidation mechanisms of various compositions of Ta–Hf–C ternary ceramics are studied systematically at 1400–1600 °C in air under isothermal conditions for the first time. The oxidation process is demonstrated to be composition dependent: 1TaC–1HfC and 1TaC–3HfC exhibit considerably improved oxidation resistance compared to TaC and HfC individual carbides along with 4TaC–1HfC and 1TaC–4HfC ternary ceramics. The results obtained herein should pave the way to design advanced oxidation-resistant Ta–Hf–C ternary ceramics for high-temperature applications.