Influence of the intermixed interfacial layers on the thermal cycling behaviour of atmospheric plasma sprayed lanthanum zirconate based coatings

In application as a thermal barrier coating (TBC), yttria stabilised zirconia (YSZ) approaches some limits of performance. To further enhance the efficiency of gas turbines, higher temperature capability and a longer lifetime of the coating are needed for the next generation of TBCs. Pyrochlore oxides of general composition, A₂B₂O₇, where A is a 3⁺ cation (La to Lu) and B is a 4⁺ cation (Zr, Hf, Ti, etc.) have high melting point, fair coefficient of thermal expansion, and low thermal conductivity which make them suitable for applications as high temperature thermal barrier coatings. Among those oxide materials lanthanum zirconate (LZ/La₂Zr₂O₇) offers very attractive properties. This work describes the fabrication, microstructure and high temperature (1280 °C) thermal cycling behaviour of lanthanum zirconate coatings with five different coating architectures, deposited using atmospheric plasma spray process. The coating architecture which had five layers with two intermixed interlayers had much longer life time than other considered architectures. The coatings were characterised using X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive spectrometry, optical and scanning electron microscopy, before and after thermal cycling tests, to study the coating failure mechanisms.