Preparation and characterization of a novel nanostructured Yb2Si2O7 feedstock used for plasma-sprayed environmental barrier coatings

In this work, the preparation process of a novel nanostructured Yb2Si2O7 feedstock for plasma-sprayed envi-ronmental barrier coatings (EBCs) was explored. Results show that sintering parameter and mass ratio between Yb2O3 and SiO2 significantly affect the solid-state reaction process for the synthesis of Yb2Si2O7 feedstocks. The increase of SiO2/Yb2O3 ratio in the spray-dried granules can reduce the average grain size of beta-Yb2Si2O7 phase and the second phase content of the sintered powder. Nanostructured Yb2Si2O7 feedstocks with high content of beta-Yb2Si2O7 phase and good sprayability were successfully obtained after plasma treatment. The nanostructured Yb2Si2O7 coatings can be gained using as-synthesized feedstocks via plasma spraying, which verifies the appli-cability of nanostructured Yb2Si2O7 feedstocks.