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Thermal barrier coating (TBC) system is an essential technology in many fields associated to high temperatures. The main function of these TBCs is to protect the metallic parts against high temperatures over 1000 °C. However, degradation occurs both in thermal and mechanical performances during service. Thus, understanding the underlying degradation and failure mechanisms of TBCs is significant to assess and further enhance the durability and reliability of TBCs. Regarding the durability of TBCs, this paper reviews different failures mechanisms of TBCs caused by residual stresses, phase transformations, sintering, hot corrosion attack and oxidation. Subsequently, some methods are summarized to alleviate the undesirable effects of the causes, so as to extend the lifetime of TBCs. Regarding the thermal barrier performance of TBCs, the neoteric advances to resist degradation in thermal conductivity of TBCs are reviewed. In addition, some new ceramic materials with superior intrinsic properties are introduced for ultra-high temperature applications. In brief, this review correlates the microstructure and properties of TBCs for finer interpretation and degradation-resistant design on their thermal and mechanical properties, which would benefit the advanced TBCs in future engineering applications.

A simplified sol-gel method that can be scaled up for large-scale production was adopted for the preparation of manganese oxide nanocrystals. Prepared Mn2O3 exhibited micron-sized particles with a nanoporous structure. In the present study, a simple and low-cost strategy has been employed to fabricate nanoporous Mn2O3 with an increased surface area for an electrode/electrolyte interface that improved the conduction of Mn2O3 material. The crystal phase and morphology of the prepared material was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The prepared electrode materials were deposited on a nickel foam substrate to investigate the electrochemical properties. The galvanostatic charge/discharge (GCD), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and complex impedance studies confirmed excellent specific capacitance and capacitive behavior of the prepared material. The synthesized Mn2O3/graphene composites exhibited an excellent specific capacitance of 391 F/g at a scan rate of 5 mV/S. Moreover, a specific capacitance of 369 F/g was recorded at a current density of 0.5 A/g using the galvanostatic charge/discharge test. The high porosity of the materials provided a better electrolyte-electrode interface with a larger specific area, thus suggesting its suitability for energy storage applications.

Lifetime is a basic support for the thermal insulation function of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). Therefore, extending the life span is essential to develop next-generation TBCs. For this objective, the columnar structure formed by vertical cracks appears to make sense. However, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. This work scrutinizes the influence of periodic vertical cracks on cracking behavior in order to tailor high strain tolerant TBCs. A finite element model was evolved to explore the crack behavior influenced by thermal mismatch strain between substrate and coating. The virtual crack closure technique (VCCT) was used to describe the propagation of crack under load. It is found clearly that the space between two vertical cracks (short for SVC) along the in-plane direction has a noteworthy influence on the strain tolerance of TBCs. Results indicate that the strain energy release rate (SERR) and stresses at the pre-crack tip increase continuously with the increase of the SVC, suggesting that the driving force for cracks is increasing. The crack is not propagated when the SVC is very small, whereas the crack grows continuously with the increase of the SVC. The growth of a crack can be prevented by reducing the SVC. A critical value for the SVC was found. When the SVC is less than the critical value, the SERR can be dramatically reduced. Thus, the SVC of periodic cracks can be tailored to obtain TBCs with high strain tolerance.

There is lot of research work at enhancing the performance of energy conversion and energy storage devices such as solar cells, supercapacitors, and batteries. In this regard, the low bandgap and a high absorption coefficient of CdSe thin films in the visible region, as well as, the low electrical resistivity make them ideal for the next generation of chalcogenide-based photovoltaic and electrochemical energy storage devices. Here, we present the properties of CdSe thin films synthesized at temperatures (below 100°C using readily available precursors) that are reproducible, efficient and economical. The samples were characterized using XRD, FTIR, RBS, UV-vis spectroscopy. Annealed samples showed crystalline cubic structure along (111) preferential direction with the grain size of the nanostructures increasing from 2.23 to 4.13 nm with increasing annealing temperatures. The optical properties of the samples indicate a small shift in the bandgap energy, from 2.20 to 2.12 eV with a decreasing deposition temperature. The band gap is suitably located in the visible solar energy region, which make these CdSe thin films ideal for solar energy harvesting. It also has potential to be used in electrochemical energy storage applications.

This study investigates the effect of tool rotation speed on the microstructure evolution of the friction stir welded 1Cr11Ni2W2MoV martensitic stainless steel. The microstructure changes in the different weld zones were examined using optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD). The microstructure differences suggest that the stir zone (SZ) and thermo-mechanical affected zone (TMAZ) have been stirred in the austenite phase region, resulting in a smaller martensite lath, prior austenite grain size and higher hardness than those in the base metal (BM). Grain refinement in the SZ and TMAZ occurred at all welding conditions, with the finest microstructure was produced at lowest tool rotation rate. The heat-affected zone (HAZ) has been divided into three subzones. The HAZs close to the BM consist mainly of tempered martensite lath with lower average hardness values than that in the BM, while a newly hardened martensite lath has been observed in local regions in the HAZ close to the TMAZ, which has an average hardness equal to that in the BM. The microstructure changes in the HAZ have led to the suggestion that the HAZ close to the TMAZ reached a temperature between Ac1 and Ac3, while the peak temperature in the HAZs close to the BM did not exceed the Ac1.

The life span for a coating attached to its substrate is basic support for their desired protective function. Therefore, it is necessary to find out the causes responsible for the failure of coatings during service. This paper developed a finite element model to investigate the cracking behavior of plasma-sprayed ceramic coatings induced by the mismatch strain of thermal expansion between coating and substrate. Crack propagation affected by coating thicknesses was realized by the virtual crack closure technique (VCCT). The residual stresses (&sigma, 22 and &sigma, 12) and the strain energy release rate (SERR) induced at the tip of pre-crack in ceramic coatings are calculated. Results show that the &sigma, 12 at the tip of the pre-crack increases continuously with the thickening ceramic coatings. The SERRs at the tip of the pre-crack in top-coat (TC) were increased with the thickness of ceramic coatings, resulting in the propagation of cracks. The crack length increases with the thickening of ceramic coatings. The crack propagation and coalescence lead to coating spallation, which is one of the main failure modes for plasma sprayed ceramic coatings during service. Given that, strain tolerant design was developed by inserting vertical pores in coatings. It was found that the SERRs were decreased with the increase in the number of vertical pores, as well as their depth. Moreover, the coatings with vertical pores appear to be crack-resistant, in particular for the thicker coatings. This suggests that the strain tolerant design is helpful to extend the life span of thick coatings, which makes a fundamental contribution to the design and preparation of advanced protective coatings in future applications.