I don't think there was one specific type/combination of armour used by cataphracts/clibanarii.
Wouldn't it be more likely it was a general term for heavily armoured cavalry?
The
Nikephori Praecepta Militaria describes the armour of Byzantine 10th century klibanophoroi as a lamellar klibanion with elbow-length sleeves and over it a thick padded epilorikion. The head was protected by an iron helmet with a mail hood of 2 or 3 layers thick, and left only the eyes uncovered. The forearms and lower legs were protected by splint-armour vambraces and greaves, with any gaps filled by pieces of mail.
Hands and feet were protected by mail-strengthened gauntlets and metal overshoes.
The horses wore klibania of oxhide which left only the eyes, nose and lower legs unprotected.
Other forms of horse-armour mentioned are 2 or 3 layers of felt glued together, iron or horn lamellae, and mail.
The Clibinarii cavalry of Shapur II is described by the Roman general and historian Ammianus Marcellinus, who fought against the Persians under the emperor Julian:
"All the companies were clad in iron, and all parts of their bodies were covered with thick plates, so fitted that the stiff-joints conformed with those of their limbs; and the forms of human faces were so skilfully fitted to their heads, that since their entire body was covered with metal, arrows that fell upon them could lodge only where they could see a little through tiny openings opposite the pupil of the eye, or where through the tip of their nose they were able to get a little breath. Of these some who were armed with pikes, stood so motionless that you would have thought them held fast by clamps of bronze."
"The Persians opposing us sent bands of mail-clad horsemen in such close order that the gleam of moving bodies covered with closely fitting plates of iron dazzled the eyes of those who looked upon them, while the whole throng of horses was protected by coverings of leather."
Graffito from Dura Europos:
[url:3hnf1xyv]http://faculty.maxwell.syr.edu/gaddis/HST354/Apr17/Clibanarius.jpg[/url]
Sarmatian cataphract:
As you can see, a lot of different types of armour