Molten CMAS resistance strategy for PS-PVD TBCs based on laser textured and Al-modified bionic structure

Plasma spray-physical vapor deposition (PS-PVD) is a promising third-generation thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) technique. Feather-like columnar TBCs with excellent strain tolerance and low thermal conductivity can be achieved using PS-PVD. However, molten CMAS (CaO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2) can penetrate coatings and accelerate PS-PVD TBCs failure due to the feather-like columnar structure. Hence, a strategy is proposed to alleviate molten CMAS corrosion. The super-hydrophobicity structure is fabricated via laser texturing on the surface of PS-PVD TBCs to repel molten CMAS wetting and spreading. Then, a thin layer of the Al-film is deposited on the laser-textured surface. Next, the Al-modified layer is in situ synthesized after vacuum heat treatment, preventing the infiltration of molten CMAS into the TBCs and reducing the coating damage. The results show that the contact angle of laser textured and Al-modified PS-PVD TBCs (LT-Al) at room temperature increased from 12.3° to 168.8°. The wetting and spreading behavior of molten CMAS of as-sprayed (AS), laser textured (LT), and LT-Al coatings is observed in situ at 1230 °C for 1800 s. The LT-Al coatings exhibited excellent CMAS corrosion resistance, attributed to the laser-textured micro-nano structures and Al-modified layer protection. The findings may be an effective approach for solving the disadvantage of PS-PVD feather-like columnar structure TBCs.