Functional coatings made of eco-friendly materials

Abstract

Thermal barrier coatings protect alloys (for example, in turbine blades) from extreme temperatures. There is a pressing need to find better materials than currently used yttria-stabilized zirconia (i.e. materials with better thermal stability, lower thermal conductivity, higher thermal expansion coefficient matching that of the alloy). Here we explore gehlenite (Ca2Al2SiO7) for possible application as a material for thermal barrier coatings. We found that gehlenite can indeed be used in next-generation thermal barrier coatings, as a top coat on a thin layer of yttria-stabilized zirconia.