Abstract
For many years, the aeronautics industry has been actively engaged in the development of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) to enhance the performance of hot section components in aerospace engines, such as turbine blades or nozzle guide vanes. The electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) process has been widely utilized for high-performance TBCs on metallic substrates, primarily due to its extended lifespan. However, the drawbacks of EB-PVD TBCs, including their cost, relatively high thermal conductivity, and susceptibility to chemical attack, pose challenges for the next generation of turbine engines. To address these issues, suspension plasma spraying (SPS) has been investigated in this study as an alternative for TBC application. It has been demonstrated that the SPS process enables the production of a columnar microstructure that can be easily adjusted in terms of size, distribution, and morphology.
