Composite ceramics thermal barrier coatings of yttria stabilized zirconia for aero-engines

Composite ceramics thermal barrier coatings(TBCs) are widely used in the aero-engines field due to their excellent thermal insulation, which improves the service life and durability of the inherent hot components. The most typical, successful and widely used TBCs material is yttria stabilized zirconia(YSZ). In this paper, fabrication methods, coating structures, materials, failure mechanism and major challenges of YSZ TBCs are introduced and reviewed. The research tendency is put forward as well. This review provides a good understanding of the YSZ TBCs and inspires researchers to discover versatile ideas to improve the TBCs systems.

Microstructure and thermal cycling behavior of nanostructured yttria partially stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thermal barrier coatings

Nanostructured yttria partially stabilized zirconia(YSZ) coatings were prepared by atmospheric plasma spraying(APS) using the conglomeration made by zirconia nanoparticle as the raw materials.The measurement methods,which consisted of scanning electron microscopy(SEM),transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and thermal cycling behavior,were used to character the morphology,composition and thermal oxidation behavior of the powder and the coatings.From the results,it was shown that the YSZ coating was the laminar structure,and the elements distribution in the bond and top coat were well-proportioned.The YSZ coatings were composed of fine grains with size ranging from 30 to 110 nm.The laminar layers with columnar grains were surrounded with unmelted parts of the nanostructured powder and some equiaxed grains.In the as-sprayed nanostructured zirconia coatings,there existed pores that were less than 1 μm.The cracks were observed on some of the crystal border.The cyclic oxidation experiment showed that the nanostructured coating had longer thermal cycling lifetime to exhibit the promising thermal cyclic oxidation resistance.The failure of the nanostructured TBC was similar to the failure of conventional APS TBC.

Effects of the Nozzle Design on the Properties of Plasma Jet and Formation of YSZ Coatings under Low Pressure Conditions

How to control the quality of the coatings has become a major problem during the plasma spraying. Because nozzle contour has a great influence on the characteristic of the plasma jet, two kinds of plasma torches equipped with a standard cylindrical nozzle and a converging-diverging nozzle are designed for low pressure plasma spraying（LPPS） and very low pressure plasma spraying（VLPPS）. Yttria stabilized zirconia（YSZ） coatings are obtained in the reducing pressure environment. The properties of the plasma jet without or with powder injection are analyzed by optical emission spectroscopy, and the electron temperature is calculated based on the ratio of the relative intensity of two Arlspectral lines. The results show that some of the YSZ powder can be vaporized in the low pressure enlarged plasma jet, and the long anode nozzle may improve the characteristics of the plasma jet. The coatings deposited by LPPS are mainly composed of the equiaxed grains and while the unmelted powder particles and large scalar pores appear in the coatings made by VLPPS. The long anode nozzle could improve the melting of the powders and deposition efficiency, and enhance the coatings＇ hardness. At the same time, the long anode nozzle could lead to a decrease in the overspray phenomenon. Through the comparison of the two different size＇s nozzle, the long anode is much more suitable for making the YSZ coatings.

The Properties of YSZ Electrolyte Sintering at 1300 ℃

The properties of yttria stabilized zirconia（YSZ） related to the sintering process were discussed.YSZ nano-powders about 40-100 nm as raw material,the sub-micrometer grain sizes such as 0.4-3 μm in YSZ were gotten by sintering process at 1300 ℃,which was performed at 1000 ℃ for 2 h,then raised the temperature at the rate of 50 ℃ / h to 1400 ℃,then decreased directly to 1300 ℃ in 30 minutes,finally at 1300 ℃ for 5-20 hours.The ratio of bigger grain size becomes larger as the holding time increasing at 1300 ℃.The grains less than 1 μm are about 50%,eg,43.2%,52.2% and 51.1% related to 1300 ℃ holding 5 hours,8 hours and 10 hours,respectively.As YSZ grain size became small,the electrical conductivities did not decrease,even increased,about 0.20 s/cm at 1000 ℃.The reduced sintering temperature and time were benefited to co-fire with the electrodes in electrode-supported SOFCs.

Blister defect formation within partially stabilized zirconia film during constrained sintering

Yttria stabilized zirconia(YSZ)film has been screen printed and sintered on a rigid substrate.The constrained sintering caused the formation of multiple microcracks and most critically large“blister”defects.The morphology of such defects has been characterized by scanning electron microscopy(SEM).It was revealed that the film surface exhibits noticeable roughness.Microhardness testing revealed little variation in green density distribution.Rheological measurement,however,showed that some agglomerations are present in the YSZ ink.The existence of agglomerations in the screen printing ink in combination with debonding at the film/substrate interface is potentially the cause for the formation of blister defects.

Polysiloxane coatings on microspheres based on Multiphase Flow with Interface Exchange-Discrete Element Modelling

Polysiloxane coatings on yttria stabilized zirconia(YSZ)microspheres of 500μm were simulated in a spout fluidized bed coater using Multiphase Flow with Interface Exchange-Discrete Element Modelling(MFiX-DEM).Two different coater configurations were developed to study the influence of gas velocity and its distribution on particle dynamics.The presence of the Wurster tube not only enhances the dis-tribution but also increases the overall residence time of the particles.Investigations were also carried out with different Wurster tube positions(normal,10%and 20%lowered from its initial position).Among these,20%lowered Wurster tube position demonstrated the most effective coating process.The effects of gas inlet pressure on the average gas velocity and the distribution of particles were analyzed.More than 97%of the particles can be retained.The derived results,including average gas velocity,particle retention percentage,and distribution of particles with gas velocity,are being used to guide the experimental work in obtaining defect-free coatings for YSZ microspheres.

Optimized sintering and mechanical properties of Y-TZP ceramics for dental restorations by adding lithium disilicate glass ceramics

The novel dental ceramics can be fabricated at lower temperatures when sol-gel derived lithium disilicate glass ceramics(LDGC)was used as an additive for yttria stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline(Y-TZP)ceramics.The effect of LDGC on the sintering,mechanical,and translucent properties of Y-TZP ceramics was investigated in the present study.The results showed that the LDGC additive effectively improved the densification of Y-TZP at 1100℃,which was much lower than the sintering temperature for pure Y-TZP.When sintered at 1100℃,the Y-TZP with 1 wt%LDGC reached a relative density of 95.45%,and prossessed a flexural strength of 482.4 MPa and a fracture toughness of 5.94 MPa-m12.Moreover,its translucency was also improved.While,the addition of LDGC could result in an escape of yttrium atoms from the grain lattice of zirconia,which induced the tetragonal-monoclinic transformation of zirconia and abnormal growth of monoclinic grains.The escaped yttrium atoms diffused into the intergranular glass phase.The results indicated that the novel Y-TZP-LDGC ceramics has a great potential to be used for all-ceramic restorations.