Thermally Sprayed Coatings to inhibit bondcoat - Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) Interactions

Jet engines rely on a ceramic coating system to stop steam from eating through their silicon carbide components, and this PhD project will redesign that coating to prevent chemical reactions between the metal bondcoat and the ceramic matrix composite (CMC). The problem is that current environmental barrier coatings (EBCs) protect CMCs from steam but do not stop the silicon bondcoat from reacting with the CMC itself at high temperatures. Those reactions degrade the interface, shortening engine life and limiting how hot engines can run. Without a fix, the aerospace industry cannot fully exploit CMCs' low density—3.21 g/cc—to cut weight and fuel burn for NetZero aviation and hydrogen power. This project will develop new surface engineering strategies, then test them at high temperature using electron backscattered diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. If successful, the work could produce coating designs that let engines run hotter and longer, directly supporting lighter, more fuel-efficient aircraft and hydrogen turbines. The research is applied and materials-focused, with no immediate consumer product—but the payoff is quieter, cheaper air travel and cleaner power generation.