The Investigation of the Interdiffusion Barrier in TiAl/MCrAlY System

TiAl based alloys are promising candidates for structural applications at high temperature. However, the poor oxidation resistance above 800oC obviously restrains their applications. Although NiCrAlY overlay coatings can remarkably improve the high temperature oxidation resistance of TiAl, serious inward diffusion of Ni from the coating to the substrate occurs which could reduce the lifetime of the coating/substrate system. Apparently, the development of interdiffusion barrier could overcome the disadvantage of the NiCrAlY/TiAl system. In this work, Ta, TiN and Cr2O3 interlayers were deposited between NiCrAlY coating and γ-TiAl substrate as diffusion barrier (DB). The interdiffusion behavior of the TiAl/DB/NiCrAlY system was investigated at 1000°C. The results showed that the metallic and nitride interlayers cannot retard the interdiffusion of Ni effectively. As an active diffusion barrier, the oxide interlayer obviously suppressed the inward diffusion of Ni from the coating to the substrate by the formation of alumina-rich layers at both the TiAl/DB and DB/NiCrAlY interfaces.