The University of Washington (UW) will develop a novel class of Silicon carbide (SiC)-based ceramic composite materials with tailored compositions for channel applications in magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) generators. The project will investigate the effect of precursor chemistry (specifically C/Si) and processing conditions (e.g. temperature) on the nanodomain structure, resultant stoichiometry, nature of the carbon phase (e.g. graphene sheets, carbon nanoparticles) and the resulting, thermo-mechanical properties at elevated temperatures. Combinatorial Materials Exploration protocol will be used to select the minor constituent X in Si-C-X, and investigate its effect on the electrical properties, including thermionic emissions and arching property for use in MHD generators. Important parameters to be investigated are the domain size, the type and distribution of carbon, the size and volume fraction of crystalline SiC and the constituent X. The interaction of these materials with plasma as a first step toward understanding the plasma induced degradation process will be investigated using a newly developed “High Density Plasma-Materials Testing Facility” that was previously designed and built on the UW campus.