This study focused on improving the phase stability and mechanical properties of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), commonly utilized in gas turbine engine thermal barrier coatings, by incorporating Gd2O3, Er2O3, and TiO2. The addition of 3-valent rare earth elements to YSZ can reduce thermal conductivity and enhance phase stability while adding the 4-valent element TiO2 can improve phase stability and mechanical properties. Sintered specimens were prepared with hot-press equipment. Phase analysis was conducted with X-ray diffraction (XRD), and mechanical properties were assessed with Vickers hardness equipment. The research results revealed that, except for Z10YGE10T, most compositions predominantly exhibited the t-phase. Increasing the content of 3-valent rare earth oxides resulted in a decrease in the monoclinic phase and an increase in the tetragonal phase. In addition, the t(400) angle decreased while the t(004) angle increased. The addition of 10 mol% of 3-valent rare-earth oxides discarded the t-phase and led to the complete development of the c-phase. Adding 10 mol% TiO2 increased hardness than YSZ.

Thermal barrier systems have been widely investigated over the past decades, in order to enhance reliability and efficiency of gas turbines at higher temperatures. Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) is one of the most leading materials as the thermal barriers due to its low thermal conductivity, thermodynamic stability, and thermal compatibility with metal substrates. In this work, rare-earth oxides with pyrochlore phases for thermal barrier systems were investigated. Pyrochlore phases were successfully formed via solid-state reactions started from rare-earth oxide powders. For the heat-treated samples, thermo-physical properties were examined. These rare-oxide oxides showed thermal expansion of and thermal conductivity of 1.2~2.4 W/mK, which is comparable with the thermal properties of YSZ.