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Gas turbines efficiency growth is primarily associated with an increase in the operating temperature of the combustion chamber, which places new stringent requirements on the materials of thermal barrier coatings. Strontium cerate doped with tin SrCe 1- x Sn x O 3 where x = 0.1 ... 0.5, was proposed as a promising material. The research has shown that the lightly doped solid solution SrCe 1-x Sn x O 3 has an orthorhombic Pnma structure at x < 0.3, whereas at a high content of Sn4+ the monoclinic structure P2 1 /m becomes more favorable. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) in reducing atmosphere (5%H 2 in Ar) shows no mass lost as a result of unchangeable charge of Ce4+ and Sn4+. An increase in the distortion of the crystal lattice, due to the large difference in the ionic radii of Ce4+ and Sn4+, leads to a deterioration in the symmetry of the crystal lattice, a reduction of thermal conductivity (from 1.9 to 1.4 W m−1 K−1 at 1000 °C) and at the same time, growth of hardness and porosity. The increase in porosity, along with an increase in the required temperature of solid-state synthesis, indicates an enhancement in the melting point of the obtained materials. For the compounds with an orthorhombic structure, the thermal expansion coefficient increases with a growth in the Sn content, achieving a highest point 12.47·10−6 K−1 at 1100 °C for x = 0.3. The combination of the revealed properties and their comparison with advanced refractories makes the solid solution, primarily SrCe 0.5 Sn 0.5 O 3 , a promising material for application as thermal barrier coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructure of Basalt matrix composite materials produced by pressureless aluminum melt infiltration at 950 °C was investigated. It is established that uniform elements distribution is observed within the whole sample depth. Interestingly, aluminum content variation considerably matches the hardness of the sample profile that is connected with alumina phase presence. Sample color changes during temperature treatment due to phase transitions were observed. The appearance of the hematite (Fe2O3) phase makes the initial preform red. After infiltration by molten aluminum, oxygen-deficient alumosilicate phases turn the color black. The infiltration process decreases the porosity insufficiently due to a partial reduction of alumosilicates by molten Al and the hardness of infiltrated samples was only 2.2 GPa. Nevertheless, a huge thermal conductivity rise from 1.45 to 4.53 W/(m·K), along with a fracture toughness increase, makes the produced composite a prospective wear-resistant material. Moreover, the developed low-temperature production technology allows for obtaining a very cost-effective material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]