Hot Corrosion of Lanthanum Zirconate and Partially Stabilized Zirconia Thermal Barrier Coatings

The hot corrosion resistance of lanthanum zirconate and 8 wt. % yttria-stabilized zirconia coatings produced by thermal spraying for use as thermal barriers on industrial gas turbines or in aerospace applications was evaluated. The two ceramic oxide coatings were exposed for various periods of time at temperatures up to 1000 degrees C to vanadium- and sulfur-containing compounds, species often produced during the combustion of typical fuels used in these applications. Changes in the coatings were studied using a scanning electron microscope to observe the microstructure and x-ray diffraction techniques to analyze the phase composition. The results showed different behaviors for the two materials: the zirconia-based coating being rapidly degraded by the vanadium compounds and resistant to attack by the sulfur materials while the lanthanum zirconate was less damaged by exposure to vanadia but severely attacked in the presence of sulfur-containing species