Preparation and characterization of YSZ abradable sealing coating through mixed solution precursor plasma spraying

Abstract Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) ceramic matrix abradable sealing coatings were prepared by plasma spraying of a blend of YSZ solution precursor with YSZ nano-particles. The microstructure and phase compositions of the prepared abradable sealing coatings were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). In addition, the mechanical, high-temperature oxidation, and tribological properties of the coatings were systematically investigated. The results show that addition of YSZ nano-particles increased porosity and bond strength and decreased the hardness of the coating. The optimum performance value was achieved by addition of 5 g nano-particles into the coating. The coatings maintained excellent thermal stability through a ten-cycle thermal shock test at 1150 °C. The 8YSZ-5 coating had an improved oxidation constant of 5.540 × 10−4 and exhibited remarkable oxidation kinetics at 1150 °C. The friction coefficient of the mixed solution precursor coating was remarkably decreased compared with a traditional ceramic matrix abradable sealing coating. The results indicate that mixed solution precursor plasma spraying increased abradable sealing coating application performance.