Microstructure and Thermal Conductivity of Er2O3 and TiO2 Dual-site Co-doped Y3Al5O12 Ceramic Materials for Thermal Barrier Coatings

doi:10.15541/jim20260190

Abstract

Abstract: To address the intrinsically high thermal conductivity that limits the application of yttrium aluminum garnet (Y₃Al₅O₁₂, YAG) ceramics in ultra-high temperature thermal barrier coatings (TBCs), a synergistic point-defect engineering strategy was proposed in this study. Using a solid-state reaction route at 1300 ℃ for 8 h, a series of Y_1.2Er_1.8Al_5-_xTi_xO₁₂ (x=0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5) ceramics were successfully synthesized. Subsequently, systematic investigations were conducted to explore the effects of Ti doping on phase structure, lattice occupancy, elemental valence states, micro-morphology, and thermal conductivity. Rietveld refinement of XRD patterns revealed that all samples maintained a single YAG phase. As the Ti doping concentration increased, lattice parameters exhibited an overall upward trend; however, an abnormal decrease was observed at x=0.4, which was attributed to a shift in site occupancy preference. Crystallographic analysis confirmed that Er³⁺ ions preferentially occupied the 24c dodecahedral sites, whereas Ti⁴⁺ ions are distributed across both 16a octahedral and 24d tetrahedral sites. Field emission scanning electron microscopy observations indicated that cation vacancies induced by Ti doping significantly enhanced atomic diffusion rates and promoted sintering neck coarsening, thereby distinctly improving material densification. Thermal conductivity measurements revealed a significantly shortened phonon mean free path, driven by the synergistic scattering effects arising from atomic mass fluctuations, ionic radius mismatches, and cation vacancies. At 1100 ℃ in particular, Y_1.2Er_1.8Al_4.6Ti_0.4O₁₂ ceramic achieved the lowest thermal conductivity of approximately 1.41 W·m^-1·K^-1, representing a reduction of approximately 29.5% compared with that of pure YAG. Overall, these findings suggest that introducing strong scattering centers, specifically cation vacancies, through dual-site co-doping offers a reliable route to suppress thermal conduction in YAG ceramics, establishing a solid theoretical foundation for their practical application in extreme high-temperature environments. In summary, the dual-site co-doping strategy effectively reduces the thermal conductivity of YAG, providing a promising approach for the design and development of advanced TBCs.

Key words: thermal barrier coating, Y₃Al₅O₁₂, dual-site co-doping, vacancy defect, thermal conductivity

CLC Number:

TQ174

GUO Huimin, WANG Xuanli, SONG Xiwen, XIE Min, WANG Zhigang, ZHANG Yonghe, WANG Sikai. Microstructure and Thermal Conductivity of Er₂O₃ and TiO₂ Dual-site Co-doped Y₃Al₅O₁₂ Ceramic Materials for Thermal Barrier Coatings[J]. Journal of Inorganic Materials, DOI: 10.15541/jim20260190.

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Microstructure and Thermal Conductivity of Er₂O₃ and TiO₂ Dual-site Co-doped Y₃Al₅O₁₂ Ceramic Materials for Thermal Barrier Coatings

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