An article comprises a substrate; a coating comprising a carbon composite; and a binding layer disposed between the substrate and the coating. The carbon composite comprises carbon and a binder containing one or more of the following: SiO2; Si; B; B2O3; a metal; or an alloy of the metal; and the metal comprises one or more of the following: aluminum; copper; titanium; nickel; tungsten; chromium; iron; manganese; zirconium; hafnium; vanadium; niobium; molybdenum; tin; bismuth; antimony; lead; cadmium; or selenium.