Improved Surface Wettability of Water by Applying SiC/Ti6Al4V Coatings on Carbon/Carbon Composites

SiC/Ti6Al4V coatings were applied on carbon/carbon composites to improve the surface wettability of water. SiC interlayers were preprepared by pack cementation to bond both the carbon/carbon composites and the Ti6Al4V, and then the Ti6Al4V coatings were applied by magnetron sputtering technique. The morphology and crystalline of the SiC/Ti6Al4V coatings were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The surface wettability of the coatings was tested by video-based contact angle measuring device. The results showed that SiC can serve as an interlayer between the carbon/carbon composites and Ti6Al4V. The SiC/Ti6Al4V coatings covered the carbon/carbon composites uniformly with spherical morphology. The coatings improved the surface wettability of carbon/carbon composites with the contact angle of water decreasing from 85.7 +/- 4.1 degrees to 26.5 +/- 0.1 degrees.