Impedance Analysis of 7YSZ Thermal Barrier Coatings During High-Temperature Oxidation

ZrO2-7 wt.%Y2O3 (7YSZ) thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) were prepared by atmospheric plasma spraying. High-temperature oxidation of 7YSZ TBCs was accomplished at 950 A degrees C and characterized by impedance spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectrometry. The results indicated that the thermally grown oxide (TGO) mainly contained alumina. The increase of the thickness of the TGO layer appeared to follow a parabolic law. Impedance analysis demonstrated that the resistance of the TGO increased with increasing oxidation time, also following a parabolic law, and that characterization of the TGO thickness based on fitting an equivalent circuit to its measured resistance is feasible. The YSZ grain-boundary resistance increased due to increasing cracks within the coating for oxidation time less than 50 h. However, beyond 150 h, the YSZ grain-boundary resistance slightly decreased, mainly due to sintering of the coating during the oxidation process.