New progress has been made in the application of zirconia-toughened materials in high-temperature aerospace components.
Release time:
2025-12-23
【Summary】 The application of zirconia-toughened materials in high-temperature aerospace components is making breakthrough progress. Their core advantage stems from a unique phase-transformation toughening mechanism: by doping with stabilizers such as yttrium oxide, these materials maintain a cubic crystal structure even at high temperatures.
The application of zirconia-toughened materials in high-temperature aerospace components is making breakthrough progress. The core advantage of these materials stems from their unique phase-transformation toughening mechanism. By doping with stabilizers such as yttria, the materials maintain a cubic crystal structure even at high temperatures, and their fracture toughness is boosted to 6–8 MPa·m¹/²—more than twice that of conventional ceramics. In the field of rocket engines, zirconia ceramic nozzle extensions refined through plasma atomization can operate directly under gas flows at 1,500°C without requiring additional cooling systems, significantly simplifying engine design and enhancing propulsion efficiency. NASA tests have shown that aircraft engines equipped with zirconia turbine blades experience a 200°C reduction in operating temperature, and their thermal cycle life has increased dramatically—from 500 cycles for metal components to 1,500 cycles, boosting turbofan engine thrust by 24%.
In the field of thermal protection systems, a gradient yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) coating independently developed by China has broken through the 1,800°C temperature resistance limit. By employing a dual-yttrium doping process that enables a gradual compositional transition, this coating successfully withstood extreme heat flux during the reentry of the Shenzhou-16 spacecraft’s return capsule into the atmosphere, boosting the thermal protection capability of human spacecraft by 300°C. Measured data from the YSZ coating applied to the nozzle of the Long March-5B rocket show that after undergoing a 1,800°C/200-hour endurance test, the coating remained intact, and its service life is five times longer than that of conventional materials.
Key breakthroughs have also been achieved in material preparation technologies. For instance, 3D printing technology can fabricate micron-scale porous zirconia structures, striking a balance between heat dissipation and lightweight design. Additionally, the microcapsule self-healing technology developed by Nanjing University of Science and Technology enables coatings to self-repair cracks even at temperatures as high as 1,500°C, providing a long-lasting protective solution for deep-space probes.
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