Synergistic effect of CeO2 and Al2O3 nanoparticle dispersion on the oxidation behavior of MCrAlY coatings deposited by HVOF

In this study, the as-received and nano-scaled oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) MCrAlY coatings were deposited using high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) spraying process. The high-energy planetary ball-milling process was utilized to prepare CeO₂ and Al₂O₃ nanoparticles. ODS-NiCoCrAlY feedstock powders were also developed using the ball-milling process. The various formulations of Al₂O₃ and CeO₂ nanoparticles (0.5 and 1.0 wt%) were chosen to apply different types of ODS-NiCoCrAlY coatings. The microstructure of the as-received and ODS coatings were evaluated by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) as well as the commercial and ODS powders. Furthermore, the microhardness of different compositions of ODS coatings was accordingly investigated and the obtained results were compared with as-received coating. On account of the measurement of oxidation kinetics, the freestanding as-received and ODS coatings were exposed to air at 1000 °C up to 500 h and the thickness growth rate of the α-Al₂O₃ oxide layer was simultaneously examined. The results exemplified that NiCoCrAlY+1.0 wt% nano-CeO₂+0.5 wt% nano-Al₂O₃ coating had a better oxidation resistance and lower oxide scale growth rate under the synergistic effects of both CeO₂ and Al₂O₃ nanoparticles.     

Al2O3/CrAlSiN multilayer coating deposited using hybrid magnetron sputtering and atomic layer deposition

In this study, Al₂O₃/CrAlSiN multilayer coatings with various periods were prepared using a hybrid process involving overlapping magnetron sputtering of CrAlSiN and atomic layer deposition (ALD) of Al₂O₃. The influence of the number of Al₂O₃ layers on the mechanical properties, corrosion behavior and oxidation characteristics of the coatings was studied using nano/micro indentation, electrochemical corrosion, and high temperature static oxidation tests. The results show that the multilayer structure can effectively prevent crack propagation during the coating and subsequently increase the coating toughness. A substantial improvement in the resistance to electrochemical and oxidation corrosion was observed in the Al₂O₃/CrAlSiN multilayer coatings and increasing the number of Al₂O₃ layers dramatically increases the corrosion durability. The Al₂O₃ ALD layers are expected to inhibit the diffusion of corrosive substances such as ions and oxygen and the increase of the Al₂O₃ layer number decreases the diffusion fluxes of the coating elements to the surface and limit the oxide growth, resulting in the evolution of the oxidation produces from irregular particles to nano-walls/fibers. It is supposed that the PVD/ALD hybrid process may open a new hard coating design concept by providing a superior toughness and corrosion/oxidation resistance.     

Microstructure and improved mechanical properties of Al2O3/Ba-β-Al2O3/ZrO2 composites with YSZ addition

Al₂O₃/Ba-β-Al₂O₃/ZrO₂ composites were fabricated by solid-state reaction sintering of Al₂O₃, BaZrO₃, and yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) powders. The effects of YSZ addition on microstructure and mechanical properties have been investigated. The incorporation of YSZ promoted the densification of the composites and formation of tetragonal ZrO₂ phase. The microstructure of the composites was characterized by elongated Ba-β-Al₂O₃ phase and equiaxed ZrO₂ particles including added YSZ and reaction-formed ZrO₂. The Al₂O₃/Ba-β-Al₂O₃/ZrO₂ composites with YSZ addition exhibited improved fracture toughness, as a result of multiple toughening effects including crack deflection, crack bridging, crack branching, and martensitic transformation of ZrO₂ formed by the reactions between Al₂O₃ and BaZrO₃. Moreover, owing to the grain refinement of Al₂O₃ matrix, dispersion strengthening of the added YSZ particles, and an increase in density of the composites, the Vickers hardness and flexural strength of Al₂O₃/Ba-β-Al₂O₃/ZrO₂ composites were dramatically enhanced in comparison with the composites without YSZ addition.     

Cathodic plasma electrolytic deposition of ZrO2/YSZ doped Al2O3 ceramic coating on TiAl alloy

ZrO₂/yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) doping Al₂O₃ ceramic coating was fabricated via cathodic plasma electrolytic deposition (CPED) technique. The microstructures and the chemical and phase compositions of the doped coating were characterized, the mechanical properties and the high temperature oxidation resistance were evaluated, and the doping mechanism was also discussed in detail. The results showed that, doped Zr⁴⁺ and Y³⁺ ions could effectively reduce the working voltage during CPED process and increase the content of metastable γ-Al₂O₃ in the coating. Accordingly, the doped ZrO₂/YSZ significantly refined the grain size of Al₂O₃, as well as remarkably improved the high temperature oxidation resistance, the micro-structural compactness and hardness of the Al₂O₃ CPED coating. This study displayed here constructed an efficiently method for the fabrication of multifunctional coating on the surface of TiAl alloy.     

Mechanical behavior of YSZ coatings co-deposited with Al and Ag on AISI 316L via RF sputtering

This article presents nanohardness, coefficient of friction (COF), and wear of Yttria-stabilized zirconia coatings (YSZ) deposited on 316L steel substrates and co-deposited with Al and Ag. YSZ coatings were deposited via RF sputtering reactive phase technique. It is widely known that the RF sputtering technique produces stoichiometric coatings with high homogeneity and density. The average thickness of the coatings was 200 nm, and the X-ray diffraction study (XRD) showed the formation of alumina alpha (α-Al₂O₃) and metallic silver in the YSZ coatings deposited with Al and Ag, respectively. The mechanical properties were evaluated by means of nanoindentation, and the wear resistance was studied with pin-on-disk technique. The addition of Ag to the YSZ coatings led to decreased hardness, while the YSZ coatings deposited with Al presented an increased hardness. Finally, YSZ coatings deposited with aluminum and silver had the lowest friction coefficient, while Ag-YSZ coatings had a COF very similar to that obtained in YSZ coatings. The wear resistance test showed that YSZ coatings deposited with Al had lower volume loss compared to YSZ coatings deposited with Ag. The wear mechanism in the deposited coatings is analyzed.     

Isothermal oxidation and TGO growth behaviors of YAG/YSZ double-ceramic-layer thermal barrier coatings

In this study, yttrium aluminum garnet/yttria-stabilized zirconia (YAG/YSZ) double-ceramic-layer thermal barrier coatings (DCL TBC) and yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) single-ceramic-layer thermal barrier coatings (SCL TBC) were deposited by atmosphere plasma spray (APS) on the Inconel 738 alloy substrate, and isothermal oxidation tests were performed to investigate the formation and growth behavior of thermally grown oxide (TGO). Results showed that the Al₂O₃ TGO thickness of both TBC groups increased by increasing the isothermal oxidation time，and then slowly decreased with the appearance and growth of the adverse multilayer structure comprising CoCr₂O₄, (Ni,Co)Al₂O₄, NiCr₂O₄, and NiO mixed oxides. However, since the significant inhibition effect of the YAG coating to oxygen ionic diffusion, the mixed oxides appearance time and TGO growth behaviors were delayed in the DCL TBC. As a result, the TGO thickness of the DCL TBC was always smaller than that of the SCL TBC in the entire oxidation process. And the Al₂O₃ layer thickness proportion in the total TGO of the DCL TBC was greater than or equal to that of the SCL TBC after oxidation for the same period. The results of weight gain showed that compared with the SCL TBC, the parabolic oxidation rate of the DCL TBC was decreased approximately 35%. Consequently, the DCL TBC has better high-temperature oxidation resistance than the SCL TBC.     

Bimodal microstructure toughens plasma sprayed Al2O3-8YSZ-CNT coatings

Current work pursues generating controlled bimodal microstructure by plasma spraying of micrometer-sized Al₂O₃ and nanostructured spray-dried agglomerate with reinforcement of 20 wt% of 8 mol % yttria stabilized zirconia (8YSZ) and 4 wt% carbon nanotube (CNT) as potential thermal barrier coating (TBC) on the Inconel 718 substrate. Composite coatings exhibit bimodal microstructure of: (i) fully melted and resolidified microstructured region (MR), and (ii) partially melted and solid state sintered nanostructured regions (NR). Reinforcement with 8YSZ has led to an increase in hardness from ∼12.8 GPa (for μ-Al₂O₃) to ∼13.9 GPa in MR of reinforced Al₂O₃-YSZ composite. Further, with the addition of CNT in Al₂O₃-8YSZ reinforced composite, hardness of MR has remained similar ∼13.9 GPa (8YSZ reinforced) and ∼13.5 GPa (8YSZ-CNT reinforced), which is attributed to acquiescent nature and non-metallurgical bonding of CNT with MR. Indentation fracture toughness increased from 3.4 MPam^0.5 (for μ-Al₂O₃) to a maximum of 5.4 MPam^0.5 (8YSZ- CNT reinforced) showing ∼57.7% improvement, which is due to crack termination at NR, retention of t-ZrO₂ (∼3.3 vol%) crack bridging, and CNT pull-out toughening mechanisms. Modified fractal models affirmed that the introduction of bimodal microstructure (NR) i.e., nanometer-sized- Al₂O₃, nanostructured 8YSZ and CNTs in the μ-Al₂O₃ (MR) contributes ∼44.6% and ∼72% towards fracture toughness enhancement for A8Y and A8YC coatings. An enhanced contribution of nanostructured phases in toughening microstructured Al₂O₃ matrix (in plasma sprayed A8YC coating) is established via modified fractal model affirming crack deflection and termination for potential TBC applications.     

Effect of Al and Ag dopants on the corrosion resistance of the AISI 316L-YSZ system

We present results for the deposition of coatings of zirconium stabilized with Yttria (YSZ) and doped with aluminum and silver. The coatings were grown from an YSZ ceramic target symmetrically covered with metallic (Al, Ag) pieces on AISI 316L steel substrates, via the RF sputtering technique. The microstructure of the coatings was characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), the chemical composition was determined through X-ray dispersive energy (EDX) analysis, and the electrochemical response was evaluated via impedance (EIS) and Tafel corrosion techniques. The XRD analysis showed that the coatings exhibited peaks belonging to the target material, dopant elements, and oxides such as Al₂O₃. Electrochemical analysis indicated an increase in the corrosion resistance of the coatings grown on aluminum oxide.     

Effect of TGO evolution and element diffusion on the life span of YSZ/Pt–Al and YSZ/NiCrAlY coatings at high temperature

In this work, the growth of thermally grown oxides (TGO) on Pt–Al and NiCrAlY bond coats and the element diffusion behavior were investigated. During oxidation, TGO initiated at YSZ/Pt–Al interface developed from a α-Al₂O₃ mono-layer to a α-Al₂O₃+NiO/α-Al₂O₃ double-layer with the increase of thermal cycling temperature. While for YSZ/NiCrAlY coating, after exposed at 1100 °C for 240 h, a double-layered TGO was formed at the interface of NiCrAlY/substrate. It is composed of an upper layer of α-Al₂O₃, Cr₂O₃ and NiCr₂O₄ mixture and a bottom layer of α-Al₂O₃. After the coating was thermal cycled at 1200 °C for 96 h, a triple-layered TGO was generated containing a bottom layer of α-Al₂O₃, a middle layer of Al₂O₃ and Cr₂O₃, and an upper layer of mixed α-Al₂O₃, Cr₂O₃ and NiCr₂O₄. The multi-layered structure of TGO is caused by the difference of element diffusion rate and formation energy of oxides. It facilitates the alternative accumulation and release of stress. Thus, the consequent service life of YSZ/Pt–Al coating is better than that of YSZ/NiCrAlY coating.     

Thermal cycling behavior and bonding strength of single-ceramic-layer Sm2Zr2O7 and double-ceramic-layer Sm2Zr2O7/8YSZ thermal barrier coatings deposited by atmospheric plasma spraying

The single-ceramic-layer (SCL) Sm₂Zr₂O₇ (SZO) and double-ceramic-layer (DCL) Sm₂Zr₂O₇ (SZO)/8YSZ thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) were deposited by atmospheric plasma spraying on nickel-based superalloy substrates with NiCoCrAlY as the bond coat. The mechanical properties of the coatings were evaluated using bonding strength and thermal cycling lifetime tests. The microstructures and phase compositions of the coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The results show that both coatings demonstrate a well compact state. The DCL SZO/8YSZ TBCs exhibits an average bonding strength approximately 1.5 times higher when compared to the SCL SZO TBCs. The thermal cycling lifetime of DCL SZO/8YSZ TBCs is 660 cycles, which is much longer than that of SCL 8YSZ TBCs (150 cycles). After 660 thermal cycling, only a little spot spallation appears on the surface of the DCL SZO/8YSZ coating. The excellent mechanical properties of the DCL LZ/8YSZ TBCs can be attributed to the underlying 8YSZ coating with the combinational structures, which contributes to improve the toughness and relieve the thermal mismatch between the ceramic layer and the metallic bond coat at high temperature.     

Hot-corrosion behaviors of overlay-clad yttria-stabilized zirconia coatings in contact with vanadate–sulfate salts

A dense clad overlay with chemical inertness was achieved on top of the plasma-sprayed YSZ thermal barrier coatings by laser in order to protect them from hot-corrosion attack. The Al₂O₃-clad YSZ coating exhibited good hot-corrosion behavior in contact with salt mixture of vanadium pentoxide (V₂O₅) and sodium sulfate (Na₂SO₄) for a longtime of 100 h at 1173 K. The LaPO₄-clad YSZ coating showed corrosion resistance inferior to the Al₂O₃-clad one. Yttria was leached from YSZ by reaction between Y₂O₃ and V₂O₅, which caused progressive destabilization transformation of YSZ from tetragonal (t) to monoclinic (m) phase. The chemical inertness of the clad layers and the restrained infiltration of the molten corrosive salts by the dense clad layers were primary contributions to improvement of the hot-corrosion resistances.     

Deposition of Al2O3 ceramic film on copper-based heterostructured coatings by aluminizing process: Study of the electrochemical responses and corrosion mechanism of the coating

The effect of deposition of the Al₂O₃ ceramic film by the aluminizing method on electrochemical responses and corrosion mechanism of copper-based heterostructured coatings was studied. The single layer coatings of Cu and Al₂O₃ and Cu/Al₂O₃ double layers were produced using reverse pulsed current electroplating process followed by powder cementation of aluminum on a substrate made of Inconel 600 superalloy. The produced coatings were then characterized using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) methods. In order to evaluate the behavior and corrosion mechanism of the produced coatings, potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy methods were also used in 1 mol/L HCl solution at immersion times of 1, 12, 24, and 48 hours. The results of the study showed that the mechanism of the formation of Cu/Al₂O₃ copper-based coatings is that in the aluminizing step, first, the diffusion of Al from the surface layers to the interior occurs and then the diffusion of Cu from the plating layer to the exterior takes places. It was also found that the deposition of the Al₂O₃ ceramic film resulted in the formation of α-Al₂O₃ and CuAl₂O₄ phases and increased corrosion resistance in Cu/Al₂O₃ copper-based coatings at all immersion times and the corrosion mechanism has changed from uniform to localized state.     

Experimental investigation of Al2O3/8YSZ and CeO2/8YSZ plasma sprayed thermal barrier coating on diesel engine

In this research work, aluminium oxide/yttria stabilized zirconia (20%Al₂O₃/80%8YSZ) and ceria/yttria stabilized zirconia (20%CeO₂/80%8YSZ) were coated through atmospheric plasma spray technique (APS) as thermal barrier coating (TBC) over CoNiCrAlY bond coat on aluminium alloy (Al-13%Si) substrate piston crown material and their thermal cycling behavior were studied experimentally. Thermal cycle test of both samples were conducted at 800?°C. Microstructural, phase and elemental analysis of the TBC coatings were experimentally investigated. The performance, combustion and emission characteristics of Al₂O₃/8YSZ, CeO₂/8YSZ TBC coated and uncoated standard diesel engine were experimentally investigated. The test results revealed that CeO₂/8YSZ based TBC has an excellent thermal cycling behavior in comparison to the Al₂O₃/8YSZ based TBC. The spallation of the Al₂O₃/8YSZ TBC occurred mainly due to the formation of thermally grown oxide (TGO), and growth of residual stresses at top coating and bond coating interface. The experimental results also revealed that the increase of brake thermal efficiency and reduction of specific fuel consumption for both TBC coated engine. Further reduction of HC, CO and smoke and increase of NOx emission were recorded for both TBC coated engine compared to the standard diesel engine.     

Studies on nanotribological and oxidation resistance properties of yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ), alumina (Al2O3) based thin films developed by pulsed laser deposition

The present study aims at a detailed evaluation of mechanical, tribological, and high temperature oxidation resistance (at 1000 °C under isothermal condition) properties of YSZ, and Al₂O₃ based thin films developed by pulsed laser deposition technique. The mechanical and tribological properties of YSZ and Al₂O₃ thin films showed significant improvement with increasing the deposition temperature during pulsed laser deposition process. The kinetics of oxidation was reduced due to pulsed laser deposition and Al₂O₃ coating offered a superior oxidation resistance property as compared to YSZ coating. However, the deposition temperature has no significant effect in reducing the TGO growth rate of the pulsed laser deposited thin films.     

Thermal behaviour of multilayer and functionally-graded YSZ/Gd2Zr2O7 coatings

Zirconates with pyrochlore structure, such as Gd₂Zr₂O₇, are new promising thermal barrier coatings because of their very low thermal conductivity and good chemical resistance against molten salts. However, their coefficient of thermal expansion is low, therefore their thermal fatigue resistance is compromised. As a solution, the combination of yttria-stabilised zirconia (YSZ) and Gd₂Zr₂O₇ can reduce the thermal contraction mismatch between the thermal barrier coating parts.In the present study, two possible designs have been performed to combine YSZ/Gd₂Zr₂O₇. On the one hand, a multilayer coating was obtained where YSZ layer was deposited between a Gd₂Zr₂O₇ layer and a bond coat. On the other hand, a functionally-graded coating was designed where different layers with variable ratios of YSZ/Gd₂Zr₂O₇ were deposited such that the composition gradually changed along the coating thickness.Multilayer and functionally-graded coatings underwent isothermal and thermally-cycled treatments in order to evaluate the oxidation, sintering effects and thermal fatigue resistance of the coatings. The YSZ/Gd₂Zr₂O₇ multilayer coating displayed better thermal behaviour than the Gd₂Zr₂O₇ monolayer coating but quite less thermal fatigue resistance compared to the conventional YSZ coating. However, the functionally-graded coating displays a good thermal fatigue resistance. Hence, it can be concluded that this kind of design is ideal to optimise the behaviour of thermal barrier coatings.     

Study on thermal shock resistance of Sc2O3 and Y2O3 co-stabilized ZrO2 thermal barrier coatings

In order to reveal the effect of Sc₂O₃ and Y₂O₃ co-doping system on the thermal shock resistance of ZrO₂ thermal barrier coatings, Y₂O₃ stabilized ZrO₂ thermal barrier coatings (YSZ TBCs) and Sc₂O₃–Y₂O₃ co-stabilized ZrO₂ thermal barrier coatings (ScYSZ TBCs) were prepared by atmospheric plasma spraying technology. The surface and cross-section micromorphologies of YSZ ceramic coating and ScYSZ ceramic coatings were compared, and their phase composition before and after heat treatment at 1200 °C was analyzed. Whereupon, the thermal shock experiment of the two TBCs at 1100 °C was carried out. The results show that the micromorphologies of YSZ ceramic coating and ScYSZ ceramic coating were not much different, but the porosity of the latter was slightly higher. Before heat treatment, the phase composition of both YSZ ceramic coating and ScYSZ ceramic coating was a single T′ phase. After heat treatment, the phase composition of YSZ ceramic coating was a mixture of M phase, T phase, and C phase, while that of ScYSZ ceramic coating was still a single T′ phase, indicating ScYSZ ceramic coating had better T′ phase stability, which could be attributed to the co-doping system of Sc₂O₃ and Y₂O₃ facilitated the formation of defect clusters. In the thermal shock experiment, the thermal shock life of YSZ TBCs was 310 times, while that of ScYSZ TBCs was 370 times, indicating the latter had better thermal shock resistance. The difference in thermal shock resistance could be attributed to the different sintering resistance of ceramic coatings and the different growth rates of thermally grown oxide in the two TBCs. Furthermore, the thermal shock failure modes of YSZ TBCs and ScYSZ TBCs were different, the former was delamination, while the latter was delamination and shallow spallation.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Al2O3–YSZ spherical polycrystalline composites

The mechanical behavior and microstructure of highly densified, spherically shaped, polycrystalline Al₂O₃–YSZ composites, processed from pseudoboehmite powders by sol–gel is reported here. Processing was carried out by combining nanometric sized α-Al₂O₃ (120 nm) seeds and YSZ particles of tetragonal structure. The YSZ particles were homogeneously distributed in a coarse-grained matrix of alumina, both inside grains and along grain boundaries. Fracture surfaces, achieved by impact tests showed toughening effects of the zirconia particles. The tetragonality of the YSZ phase stability even after fracture events and fracture toughness measurements by Vickers indentation, where the crack tip interacts with YSZ particles, are all provided and discussed. The local mechanical properties, such as elastic modulus, indentation hardness and the onset of plastic deformation or fracture contact pressure of both YSZ particles and the Al₂O₃ matrix were quantified by nanoindentation. Evidence of coercive contact pressure was observed in YSZ from indentation stress–strain curves.     

Preparation of multilayered C–Si–Al2O3 coatings on continuous carbon fibers and C–Si–Al2O3-coated carbon-fiber-reinforced hydroxyapatite composites

Multilayered C–Si–Al coatings with various morphologies were deposited on carbon fibers (CFs) using magnetron sputtering. The thickness of the coatings was increased from 0.5 to 1.5 μm by magnetron sputtering between 90 and 120 min. C–Si–Al coatings of suitable thickness were heat-treated at 600 °C and transformed into C–Si–Al₂O₃ coatings by one-step anodic oxidation (AO). The oxidation time for the one/two-step anodic oxidation and the ratio of oxidation time for the two-step anodic oxidation significantly influenced the morphologies of the C–Si–Al₂O₃(AO) coatings. Al₂O₃ coatings with satisfactory morphologies and structures were prepared by two-step anodic oxidation with a total time of 30 min and a ratio of 1:1 between the initial and secondary oxidation times. The multilayered C–Si–Al₂O₃(AO) coatings were modified to C–Si–Al₂O₃ coatings by secondary heat treatment at 1050 °C. Subsequently, hot-press sintering was used to prepare CFs with multilayered C–Si–Al₂O₃ coating-reinforced hydroxyapatite (CF/C–Si–Al₂O₃/HA) composites. The multilayered C–Si–Al₂O₃-coated CFs demonstrated good resistance to oxidation and thermal shock. This could effectively protect CFs from oxidative damage and maintain its strengthening effect during sintering. The multilayered C, Si, and Al₂O₃ coatings effectively reduced the difference between the coefficient of thermal expansion of the CFs and HA matrixes. The interfacial gaps between the multilayered coatings and HA were reduced. This could enhance the mechanical performance of the composites. The CF/C–Si–Al₂O₃/HA composites exhibited improved mechanical properties with a bending strength of 83.94 ± 12.29 MPa, and fracture toughness of 2.45 ± 0.08 MPa m^1/2. This study can broaden the application of CF/C–Si–Al₂O₃/HA biocomposites as bone-repair materials and help obtain CF-reinforced composites with excellent mechanical properties that are fabricated or serviced at high temperatures.     

EB-PVD alumina (Al2O3) as a top coat on 7YSZ TBCs against CMAS/VA infiltration: Deposition and reaction mechanisms

Al₂O₃ was deposited as a top coat on a standard 7YSZ layer (or layers) by means of EB-PVD technique and the corresponding morphology of the Al₂O₃/7YSZ coatings was studied in detail. This multi-layer TBC system was tested against calcium-magnesium-aluminium-silicate (CMAS) recession by performing infiltration experiments for different time intervals from 5?min to 50?h at 1250?°C using two types of synthetic CMAS compositions and Eyjafjallajökull volcanic ash (VA) from Iceland. The results show that the studied EB-PVD Al₂O₃/7YSZ coatings react quickly with CMAS or VA melt and form crystalline spinel (MgAl_2-xFe_xO₄) and anorthite (CaAl₂Si₂O₄) phases. The presence of Fe-oxide in the CMAS has been found to be key element in influencing the spinel formation which was proved to be more efficient against CMAS sealing in comparison to the Fe-free CMAS compositions. Even though a rapid crystallization was assured, shrinkage cracks in the EB-PVD alumina layer produced during the crystallization heat treatment have proven to be detrimental for the CMAS/VA infiltration resistance. To overcome these microstructural drawbacks, an additional alumina deposition method, namely reaction-bonded alumina oxide (RBAO), was applied on top of EB-PVD Al₂O_3. RBAO acts as a sacrificial layer forming stable reaction products inhibiting further infiltration.