In this work, dense zircon-based ceramic coatings were obtained from inexpensive zircon powder on a steel substrate by using a new multi-chamber gas-dynamic accelerator. The microstructure and phase composition of the coating were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The mechanical properties of the coatings were evaluated using microindentation, wear tests and bonding strength tests. The results showed that the obtained zircon-based ceramic coatings were continuous without cracks and bonded well with substrate without a sublayer. The zircon-based ceramic coatings consisted of c-ZrO₂ (major phase), m-ZrO₂ and SiO₂. The zircon-based ceramic coatings had a porosity of 0.1%, hardness of 526 ± 65 HV_0.2, and a fracture toughness of 2.5 ± 0.6 (МPа∙m^1/2). The coatings showed the low specific wear rate and average erosion rate. The failure mode occurring in the tested coatings was cohesive.

Composite ZrB₂–MoSi₂ coating modified by Y₂O₃ and Al was prepared by a new multi-chamber detonation accelerator (MCDS) on carbon/carbon composites. Postdeposition heat treatment of the samples at 1500 °C for 1 and 6 h was carried out in air. The effect of heat treatment on the microstructure and phase composition of the ZrB₂–MoSi₂ coating was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction phase analysis. The as-sprayed coating presented as a dense lamellar structure, composed of m-ZrO₂, t-ZrO₂, some hexagonal ZrB₂, and cubic Al phases. The m-ZrO₂, c-ZrO₂, and h-(α-Al₂O₃) formed at 1500 °C. The coatings after heat treatment (1 and 6 h) exhibited a structure without cracks. The porosity (~1%) of the coating did not change after heat treatment. Thin, continuous, silica-rich film covered the surfaces of ZrO₂ and Al₂O₃ particles, and could have played a role during heat treatment by acting as a grain lubricant for particle rearrangement.