The effects of surface morphology and densification on the infrared emissivity of 2D C/SiC composites were investigated in 6-16 mu m from 1000 degrees C to 1600 degrees C. As the sample surface was polished, the reflection and scattering for the electromagnetic waves of thermal radiation were reduced, causing a sustained decrease in the infrared emissivity. The space-variant polarizations caused by the cauliflower-like microstructure were enervated in the smooth surface, which enhanced the reduction trendy in the infrared emissivity. In densification process, the increasing SiC content and the growing amount of the cauliflower-like microstructure on sample surface improved the infrared emissivity of C/SiC composites, while the decreasing porosity decreased it. Due to the greater positive effects on the thermal radiation during the densification process, the infrared emissivity of C/SiC composites increased successively with density. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.