Influences of Cr and Co on the Growth of Thermally Grown Oxide in Thermal Barrier Coating during High-Temperature Exposure

Thermal barrier coating (TBC) is a critical material in the aerospace domain to increase the lifetime of gas turbine components subjected to thermal load. The properties of TBC are strongly related to the growth of thermally grown oxide (TGO) whose main constituent is Al2O3. However, the oxidation of Cr and Co can affect the growth of TGO, which is not studied sufficiently. In this paper, high-temperature exposure at 1000 °C was performed to investigate the effect of Cr and Co oxides on TGO growth. The morphology and composition analysis of the interface between the ceramic top coat and the bond coat (TC/BC) were investigated by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the energy dispersion spectrum (EDS). The thermodynamics and kinetics of oxidation were analyzed. The results indicated that the oxidation kinetics basically followed the sub-parabolic law with exposure time. Additionally, the major factor affecting the formation of oxides was the diffusion rate at the initial stage of exposure, then oxides depended on thermodynamics, and the oxidation was influenced by both of them in the last stage. The major elements to be oxidized were different at different stages. Moreover, the replacement reaction of Cr2O3 and the phase conversion of Al2O3 resulted in thickness variations of the TGO and Al-depleted zone during high-temperature exposure.