Prolonged thermal durability of plasma-sprayed lanthanum hexaluminate thermal barrier coating by optimizing crystallinity

LaMgAl11O19 (LMA) with magnetoplumbite structure has been identified as a potential candidate for the next generation of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). However, the as-sprayed LMA coating presents a large amount of amorphous phase originating from the rapid quenching from the molten droplets, which may compromise the reliability of coating during high-temperature service. A logical approach to improve LMA TBC life, therefore, is to enhance its crystallinity. In the present study, three LMA powders with different particle size distributions (fine, medium and coarse feedstocks) were utilized to deposit TBCs to investigate whether the thermal durability of LMA can be improved by increasing particle size. It was based on a hypothesis that large particle size can decrease the melting degree of in-flight particles and thus result in high crystallinity of as-sprayed LMA coating, making less recrystallization stress to enhance the thermal shock resistance of LMA coating. Results show that prolonged thermal cycling durability can indeed be achieved by increasing particle size. However, excessive particle size could lead to higher porosity derived from unmelted particles, which function as the weak regions for the coating system, thereby damaging the structural integrity and adhesive strength between the topcoat and bond coat. This could cause microcrack linking when the accumulated thermal stress exceeds its fracture toughness under consecutive heating-cooling cycles despite its higher crystallinity. Concerning the coating fabricated by medium powder, it achieves the optimal balance of crystallinity and structure integrity, resulting in the longest thermal cycling lifetime. The results provide guidance for the development and design of high thermal durability LMA TBCs. When optimizing the recrystallization stress within the coating, attention should be paid to improving its bonding strength simultaneously.