On the Applicability of Modified Water-Based Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Suspensions to Produce Plasma-Sprayed Columnar Coatings

In this paper, the applicability of the modified water-based yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) suspensions, including different dispersants, to produce plasma-sprayed coatings with a "columnar microstructure" is investigated. The effects of processing parameters, like the suspension liquid-phase ethanol content, change in substrate roughness, and spray distance on the resulting coating morphologies, are investigated. The results showed that increasing the ethanol concentration, substrate surface roughness, and spray distance promotes the formation of coatings with a columnar structure. Moreover, the application of modified water-based suspensions, including the a-Terpineol dispersant, has led to the deposition of columnar coatings with comparable morphologies of coatings deposited from ethanol-based suspensions.