Microstructure and oxidation resistance of a YSZ modified silicide coating for Ta-W alloy at 1800 °C

•A Si-Mo-YSZ coating was prepared on Ta-W alloy by slurry reaction sintering method.•The coated sample remained intact after oxidation at 1800 °C for 10 h.•The coating withstood 218 shock heating cycles from room temperature to 1800 °C.•The excellent performance was attributed to the dense SiO2-ZrO2-ZrSiO4 scale.•Microstructure evolution and failure mechanism of the coating were analyzed.