Tailoring thermal properties of multi-component rare earth monosilicates

Abstract This work explores the possibility of tailoring the thermal conductivity and thermal expansion of rare earth monosilicates through the introduction of multiple rare earth cations in solid solution. Six rare earth monosilicates are studied: Sc2SiO5, Y2SiO5, Nd2SiO5, Dy2SiO5, Er2SiO5, and Yb2SiO5. Four equimolar binary cation mixtures and a five-cation equimolar mixture were characterized. Thermal expansion was measured up to 1200 °C with X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and bulk thermal conductivity was measured by Hot Disk technique. The linear coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of mixed-cation systems followed a rule of mixtures, with average linear CTEs between 6 - 9 × 10−6 /°C. Scandium monosilicate showed a lower linear CTE value as well as a notably lower degree of CTE anisotropy than other rare earth monosilicates. Thermal conductivity was found to decrease below rule of mixtures values through increasing heterogeneity in rare earth cation mass and ionic radii, as expected for the thermal conductivity of solid-solutions. The five-cation equimolar RE2SiO5 (RE=Sc, Y, Dy, Er, and Yb) shows a thermal conductivity of 1.06 W/mK at room temperature, demonstrating that multi-component rare earth silicates are strong candidates for novel dual-purpose thermal and environmental barrier coatings.