Penn State researchers have pioneered a new thermal barrier coating application technique that they say can extend the life and/or efficiency of coated components.

Penn State researchers have pioneered a new thermal barrier coating application technique that they say can extend -- by up to 12% -- the life and/or efficiency of coated components vital to the energy, vehicle, microelectronics and aerospace industries. While a variety of industrial thermal barrier coating techniques exist, there are disadvantages. According to Dr. Jogender Singh, professor of materials science and engineering and head of the Advanced Coatings unit of Penn State's Applied Research Laboratory, many of those shortcomings can be overcome through the use of electron beam-physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD). In EB-PVD, an electron beam bombards and vaporizes ceramic or metallic coating material, controlling the way in which the coating is deposited and adheres. Singh emphasizes that using the new technique doesn't change the basic chemistry of the coating material. Rather, the way the coating is applied reduces, for example, its thermal conductivity and enhances its ability to resist corrosion and high-temperature oxidation.

For additional information, call (814) 865-9481 or e-mail bah@psu.edu.