ZrB₂-20SiC (ZS20) composite and its derivatives doped with 5 vol% Sc₂O₃, Y₂O₃, and La₂O₃ were densified using hot press sintering to investigate the influence of rare earth oxides on their high temperature oxidation and ablation behavior. Isothermal oxidation testing at 1773 K indicate that rare earth oxides modification lowers activation energy and slightly accelerates weight gain during the initial phase. As oxidation progresses, the weight gain of ZS20 increases sharply. The sample doped with La₂O₃ (ZS20L5) exhibits the lowest oxidation weight gain, with a porosity of only 1.8 % after oxidation. Cyclic ablation tests at the middle-low temperature zones indicate that ZS20L5 exhibits the lowest linear and mass ablation rates. Thermodynamic analyses demonstrate that La₂O₃ preferentially reacts with SiO₂ to form La₂Si₂O₇, which demonstrates a more effective oxygen barrier property compared to ZrSiO₄. Additionally, La₂O₃ enhances the fluidity of the glass phase, effectively filling cracks, sealing pores, and blocking the penetration of oxygen.

Al₂O₃-based directionally solidified eutectic (DSE) ceramics are recognized as promising candidates for high-temperature structural materials in advanced aeroengines. Nevertheless, their corrosion resistance at elevated temperatures continues to pose a critical challenge, limiting broader application in hot-section components. This study investigates corrosion behavior of RE₃Al₅O₁₂ (REAG)/Al₂O₃ (RE = rare earth) DSE ceramics in water vapor atmosphere (90 H₂O(g) + 10 vol% air(g)) at 1500°C for durations up to 200 h, with focus on the influence of eutectic structure and RE elements in garnet phases via examining three samples (high-entropy (Y_0.2Gd_0.2Ho_0.2Er_0.2Yb_0.2)₃Al₅O₁₂ DSEs fabricated at 10 and 300 mm/h and YAG/Al₂O₃ DSE grown at 10 mm/h). The results indicate that REAG/Al₂O₃ DSE ceramics exhibit excellent water vapor corrosion resistance at 1500°C for up to 200 h, with mass loss values ranging from −0.00757 to −0.00708 mg·cm⁻²·mg⁻¹. During corrosion, Al₂O₃ phase acts as corrosion-susceptible component compared to REAG phase, with corrosion depth showing a nearly linear relationship with the average Al₂O₃ lamellar width. In addition, garnet phases experience slight grain growth, reducing the contact area between water vapor and Al₂O₃ phase; Gd demonstrates the slowest diffusion rate when compared to other RE elements. Despite these changes, all samples maintain their preferred crystallographic orientations, confirming the structural stability of REAG/Al₂O₃ DSEs under water vapor atmosphere at 1500°C.

Thermal protection coatings for aerospace applications require robust mechanical properties, exceptional thermal insulation, and high impact resistance to safeguard critical hot-section components and thereby extend their service life. Previous studies have confirmed that high-entropy titanate (La_0.3K_0.1Ca_0.2Sr_0.2Ba_0.2)TiO_3+δ (HE-LKTO) materials have excellent thermal protection properties and mechanical properties. To evaluate the viability of the HE-LKTO for Thermal protection coatings, a novel high-entropy titanate coating with a non-equimolar A-site composition was fabricated via atmospheric plasma spraying. The as-sprayed coatings subsequently underwent a comprehensive analysis of their microstructure and phase structure. Guided by the experimental results, the coating prepared under the optimized conditions was systematically investigated for its thermal protection performance via plasma flame thermal shock testing. The failure mechanism was revealed by analyzing the coating’s dynamic behavior under extreme heat flux. Results show that the HE-LKTO coating prepared at 36 kW exhibits the optimal microstructure: the sprayed particles achieve complete melting and effective spreading, resulting in the lowest surface roughness and porosity. In addition, HE-LKTO coating maintains structural integrity at ablation temperatures of 1400 ℃, exhibiting excellent high-temperature protection performance. At the extreme temperature of 1600 ℃, however, the coating began to spall as a result of accumulated thermal stress induced by the mismatched thermal expansion coefficients between the coating and substrate, as well as crack propagation along interlamellar boundaries and interface separation. This work not only validates the great potential of HE-LKTO as thermal protection coatings but also provides crucial insights into its failure mechanism, laying a foundation for future performance enhancement.

The development of new ablation-resistant and heat-insulating integrated materials for thermal protection of hypersonic vehicles is extremely important, but significant challenges remain. In this study, zirconium-based phosphate ceramics were developed by mixing a nano powder of the traditional ultra-high temperature ceramic oxidation product ZrO₂, which has excellent thermal insulation performance, with an aluminum-chromium phosphate slurry, which provides a certain degree of thermal stability. The zirconium-based phosphate ceramics crosslinked and cured by a polycondensation reaction inherited the high temperature resistance of ZrO₂ and the low thermal conductivity of the phosphate material, and simultaneously achieving excellent thermal stability, mechanical properties, and the desired properties. The mass ablation rate and line ablation rate of the zirconiumbased phosphate ceramics were found to be 0.0173 g/s and 0.0114 mm/s, respectively, under oxyacetylene flame ablation at 2527^∘C for 30 s. In addition, cooling by up to 2301^∘C was achieved over a distance of 10 mm in the thickness direction was achieved. The zirconium-based phosphate ceramics also exhibited remarkable compressive strength (6.23-29.22MPa), good thermal insulation (0.827-1.784 W/m⋅K), excellent thermal stability, and mass loss within 2.2% in thermogravimetric tests from room temperature to 1400^∘C. These properties indicate that zirconium-based phosphate ceramics can be utilized in thermal protection systems in hypersonic vehicles, rocket propulsion, and missile launchers.

With the advancement of modern aeroengines toward higher thrust-to-weight ratios and increased gas temperatures, the control of rotor-stator clearances has become a critical factor influencing engine performance and efficiency. Abradable seal coatings (ASCs), as an effective means of clearance control, have been widely applied to the inner casings of engines. Under high-temperature service conditions ($\ge {1300}^{\circ }\mathrm{C}$≥1300∘C), conventional metalbased ASCs are increasingly exhibiting service performance limitations due to their insufficient thermal stability. In contrast, ceramic-based abradable seal coatings, owing to their excellent high-temperature stability and low thermal conductivity, are considered promising candidates for next-generation high-temperature sealing materials. However, the design of such novel ASCs faces numerous key challenges, including crack propagation, the trade-off between abradability and erosion resistance, and coating failure mechanisms under extremely complex service environments. This review systematically summarizes the recent progress in high-temperature ceramic-based ASCs, with a focus on typical material systems, fabrication techniques, key structural design strategies, and their relationship with performance evolution. Comprehensive analysis reveals significant coupling and trade-offs among abradability, hardness, erosion resistance, thermal shock resistance, and corrosion resistance. Achieving balanced performance requires multiscale structural design and multifunctional synergistic optimization. Finally, this paper summarizes the main challenges currently faced in this field and emphasizes that future research should focus more on understanding the evolution of failure mechanisms under complex service environments and on the design and construction of integrated multifunctional coating architectures.

CrTaO₄ and CrNbO₄, rutile structured ternary scales formed on refractory high-entropy alloys (RHEAs), protect the RHEAs from oxidation and thermal attack. However, the Vickers hardness (12.20/10.20GPa for CrTaO₄ and CrNbO₄, respectively) is lower than that of YSZ (14 GPa), making them prone to erosion. In addition, further reduction of thermal conductivity (1.31/1.09 W⋅ m^-1⋅ K^-1 for CrTaO₄ and CrNbO₄, respectively) benefits to protect the substrate materials from thermal attack. As such, optimizing their properties is urgently needed. To enhance the mechanical properties and further reduce the thermal conductivity of rutile-type ternary oxides CrTaO₄ and CrNbO₄, herein we designed a CrTa_0.5Nb_0.5O₄ solid solution based on the mechanism of solid solution strengthening, and systematically investigated its phase composition, microstructure, mechanical and thermal properties. The HAADF and ABF-STEM analyses confirmed the rutile-structure of CrTa_0.5Nb_0.5O₄, while minor impurities of rutile-structured CrNbO₄ and CrO₂ were also identified. The elastic modulus, bulk modulus, and shear modulus of CrTa_0.5Nb_0.5O₄ are 201, 119, and 175 GPa, respectively. Notably, the mechanical properties of CrTa_0.5Nb_0.5O₄ have been significantly improved via solid solution strengthening, with the Vickers hardness of 13.01±0.2GPa, fracture toughness of 2.07±0.017MPa⋅m^1/2, and flexural strength of 201±12MPa. The measured melting point of CrTa_0.5Nb_0.5O₄ is 2073±20 K, with an average thermal expansion coefficient of (5.91±0.52)×10^-6 K^-1. The room-temperature thermal conductivity of CrTa_0.5Nb_0.5O₄ is 1.07 W⋅ m^-1⋅ K^-1, which decreases to 0.57 W⋅ m^-1⋅ K^-1 at 1473 K, being lower than most of the well-known thermal barrier coating materials. In terms of thermal expansion coefficient matching, CrTa_0.5Nb_0.5O₄ is a qualified thermal barrier material for refractory metals and their alloys and ultra-high temperature ceramics. Therefore, this study has not only successfully developed a thermal barrier coating material with excellent mechanical properties and low thermal conductivity, but also provided new ideas for the research and development of materials in high-temperature fields from the perspective of material design.

Carbon-based composites are widely utilized in aerospace engines, thermal protection systems of hypersonic vehicles, and ultrahigh-temperature structural components, due to their lightweight nature, high strength, excellent mechanical properties, and thermal stability. However, the inherent susceptibility of carbon-based composites to high-temperature oxidation significantly limits their service life, highlighting the urgent need for the development of efficient oxidation-resistant barriers to enhance the long-term operational stability. In recent years, ultra-high temperature ceramic (UHTC) coatings have attracted considerable attention owing to their outstanding oxidation resistance. Nevertheless, such protective coatings still face critical challenges to hinder practical applications, including crack propagation, dynamic consumption instability of oxidation glass films, generation of oxidation holes and interfacial damage, which remain prevalent. In this work, a comprehensive overview of the research progress in UHTC coatings for carbon-based composites is provided, with particular emphasis on examining the influence of hierarchical structural design on oxidation resistance. Specifically, the role of advanced manufacturing techniques in optimizing microstructural stability and interfacial bonding strength is thoroughly discussed. Furthermore, the high-temperature oxidation protection mechanisms of UHTC coatings are examined, including strategies to optimize the composition of the oxidation glass film, stabilize the self-generated glass phase, and enhance densification of coating. In addition, various characterization methods are discussed for evaluating the oxidation resistance of the coatings, along with a systematic evaluation of stability under different service conditions. Finally, analysis of current technical challenges and unresolved issues, especially challenges and technical prospects regarding the field of oxidation-resistant coatings for carbon-based composites are discussed, while offering perspectives on future developments.

Cr₂AIC, as a ternary layered MAX phase ceramic with excellent oxidation resistance and ablation resistance, has great potential in thermal protection materials. To further tap its potential as a recyclable thermal protection material in extreme environment, the cyclic ablation performance of Cr₂AIC under nitrogen plasma flame at 1600^∘C was systematically studied in this paper. During the cycles (each lasting three minutes) of ablation, Cr₂AIC maintained structural integrity and exhibited low linear and mass ablation rates. After three cycles of ablation, the linear ablation rate and mass ablation rate were 0.050μ m/s and 0.048mg/s, respectively. The analysis of surface and near-surface components shows that Al₈Cr₅ produced by the decomposition of Cr₂AIC is the origin of the excellent ablation performance of Cr₂AlC ceramics. However, as the cycle time and total ablation time increase, Cr₂AIC and Al₈Cr₅ near the surface will be depleted under high-temperature oxidation, leading to material failure. This study presents the excellent cycling and longterm ablation properties of Cr₂AlC ceramics, revealing their enormous application prospects in reproducible thermal protection materials.

With the advancement of hypersonic vehicles, extreme high temperature environments have imposed increasingly stringent requirements on the performance of thermal protection systems. Consequently, the development of high-performance thermal protection materials capable of withstanding extreme conditions has become a primary focus of current research. Ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs) and their composites, known for their excellent oxidation resistance and ablation performance, are regarded as highly promising non-ablative thermal protection materials. This paper provides a systematic review of recent research progress on UHTC composites in several key areas, including innovations and optimizations in fabrication processes, exploration of toughening strategies and mechanisms, in-depth studies on oxidation and ablation resistance mechanisms, and the development and potential applications of high-entropy ceramics. Furthermore, the paper discusses the practical application prospects of UHTCs and their composites in extreme environments, analyzes the current technical challenges, and proposes future research directions and priorities.