An investigation on oxidation, hot corrosion and mechanical properties of plasma-sprayed conventional and nanostructured YSZ coatings

Conventional and nanostructured YSZ coatings were deposited on IN-738 Ni super alloy by atmospheric plasma spray technique. The oxidation was measured at 1100 degrees C and hot corrosion resistance of the coating was measured in a mixed salt of V2O5 and Na2SO4 at 1050 degrees C using an atmospheric electrical furnace. According to the experimental results, nanostructured coatings showed a better oxidation and hot corrosion resistance than conventional one. The improved oxidation resistance of the nanocoating could be explained by the change of structure to a dense and more packed structure in this coating. The improvement in hot corrosion resistance was not as good as the oxidation but much better than conventional coating. The thermo-mechanical properties of the coating were tested using thermal cycles, nanoindentation, and bond strength tests during which nanostructured YSZ coating again showed a better performance by structural stability. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.