Instrument: FEI Nova200 NanoSEM

Techniques: SE imaging, EDX spectroscopy

Summary: Thermal barrier coatings, mostly yttrium stabilized ZrO2, are widely used in aerospace turbines. The micrograph shows the surface of a thermal barrier coating grown by PVD (physical vapour deposition), imaged under the ‘wet’ mode. Several other techniques can be used to characterize such coating materials, such as X-ray diffraction techniques to determine the crystalline structure and to measure the residual stresses, EDX spectroscopy to determine the chemical composition.

For more information on our SEM services relating to research and consultancy, please contact Dr. Quanshun Luo