Thermal Barrier and Environmental Barrier Coatings for High-Temperature Protection
This community develops ceramic and composite surface coatings designed to protect metal components from extreme heat, oxidation, and corrosive environments. The work focuses on extending the operational life of structural materials in high-temperature applications by engineering barriers that resist thermal shock, hot corrosion, and chemical degradation.
The research centers on yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) and high-entropy oxide ceramics as primary barrier materials. Common fabrication methods include atmospheric plasma spraying and the deposition of composite coatings on nickel-based superalloys and stainless steel substrates. A significant portion of the work addresses specific failure mechanisms, particularly CMAS (calcium-magnesium-aluminum-silicate) corrosion and hot corrosion, which are critical challenges in gas turbine and diesel engine environments. Recent efforts also explore rare-earth tantalates and disilicates to improve resistance to environmental degradation and thermal cycling.
The largest share of the community's output is found in yttrium research, accounting for 5.0% of all yttrium research tracked, and 2,441 papers here. Zirconium research follows with a 3.1% share and 2,549 papers.
The community comprises 25,494 papers, with the most frequent publication venues being Surface and Coatings Technology, Ceramics International, and the Journal of the American Ceramic Society.
Recent work continues to focus on the development of high-entropy rare-earth materials and bilayer apatite structures to enhance CMAS resistance, alongside non-destructive evaluation techniques for detecting defects in existing thermal barrier coating systems.