Phase Formation and Thermal Diffusivity of Thermal Barrier Coatings of La₂Zr₂O₇, (La_0.5Gd_0.5)₂Zr₂O₇, Gd₂Zr₂O₇Fabricated by Suspension Plasma Spray

Abstract

In order to comply with demand for high efficient gas turbines operating at higher temperatures, considerable amounts of research efforts have been performed with searching for the next-generation thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) with respect to coating materials as well as processing methods. In this study, thermal barrier coatings in the $(La_{1-x}Gd_x)_2Zr_2O_7$ system, which is one of the most versatile materials replacing yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), are fabricated by suspension plasma spray with suspension made of synthesized powders via solidstate reaction. Dense, $100{\sim}400{\mu}m$ thick coatings of fluorite-phase zirconate with moderate amount of segmented microstructures are obtained by using suspension plasma spray. Phase formation and thermal diffusivity are characterized with coating compositions. The feasibility of $(La_{1-x}Gd_x)_2Zr_2O_7$ coatings for TBC applications is also discussed.