Isothermal Oxidation Behavior of Gd2Zr2O7/YSZ Multilayered Thermal Barrier Coatings

Efficiency of a gas turbine can be increased by increasing the operating temperature. Yttria‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ) is the standard thermal barrier coating (TBC) material used in gas turbine applications. However, above 1200°C, YSZ undergoes significant sintering and CMAS (calcium magnesium alumino silicate) infiltration. New ceramic materials of rare earth zirconate composition such as gadolinium zirconate (GZ) are promising candidates for thermal barrier coating applications (TBC) above 1200°C. Suspension plasma spray of single‐layer YSZ, double‐layer GZ/YSZ, and a triple‐layer TBC comprising denser GZ on top of GZ/YSZ TBC was attempted. The overall coating thickness in all three TBCs was kept the same. Isothermal oxidation performance of the three TBCs along with bare substrate and bond‐coated substrate was investigated for time intervals of 10 h, 50 h, and 100 h at 1150°C in air environment. Weight gain/loss analysis was carried out by sensitive weighing balance. Microstructural analysis was carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). As‐sprayed single‐layer YSZ and double‐layer GZ/YSZ showed columnar microstructure, whereas the denser layer in the triple‐layer TBC was not columnar. Phase analysis of the top surface of as‐sprayed TBCs was carried out using XRD. Porosity measurements were made by water intrusion method. In the weight gain analysis and SEM analysis, multilayered TBCs showed lower weight gain and lower TGO thickness compared to single‐layer YSZ.