Structure and Thermal Conductivity of Thermal Barrier Coatings in Lanthanum/Gadolinium Zirconate System Fabricated via Suspension Plasma Spray

With increase in demand for higher operating temperatures of gas turbines, extensive research efforts have been carried out to enhance the performance of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) in the field of coating processing as well as materials. In this study, thermal barrier coatings in lanthanum/gadolinium zirconate system, which is one of the most promising candidates for replacing yttira-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) in thermal barrier coating applications, are fabricated via suspension plasma spray. Dense, $300{\sim}400{\mu}m$ thick coatings of fluoritephase zirconate with modest amount of segmented microstructures are obtained by using suspension plasma spray with suspensions of planetary-milled mixture between lanthanum and/or gadolinium oxide and nano zirconia. These coatings exhibit thermal conductivities of 1.6 ~ 1.7 W/mK at $1000^{\circ}C$, which is relatively lower than that of YSZ.