Abstract: TaC coating on mesophase pitch-based carbon fibers was prepared by sol-gel method. Characteristic functional groups of Ta sol-gel were studied by FT-IR，the microstructure and composition of the prepared TaC coated carbon fibers were characterized by XRD and SEM，and the antioxidation behavior of the coated carbon fibers was studied by thermal gravimetric analysis. Results showed that after being twice coated and thermal treatment at 1600 ℃，the formed TaC coating layer on carbon fibers with a thickness of about 150 nm was continuous，uniform and smooth without big holes，and the coating layer presented large areas of white TaC particles. It was also showed that the initial oxidation temperature of the twice coated carbon fibers was about 250 ℃ higher than that of the uncoated carbon fibers，no obvious weight loss was observed below 800 ℃，and the final oxidation temperature was improved to 870 ℃. Thus，the oxidation resistance of carbon fiber was improved by TaC coating．