High Temperature Anticorrosion Ceramic Nanocomposite Coatings for Current and Next Generation Turbine Engines

The objective of this Phase II DARPA SBIR program is to further optimize, tailor NanoSonic’s silicon nitride anticorrosion nanocomposite coatings for integration within current and future turbine engine systems. By synergistically combining the exceptional thermomechanical properties, thermal shock resistance, oxidative stability and high temperature strength of polymer derived silicon nitride ceramics with the fracture toughness, wear resistance and hardness of functionalized metal oxide nanoparticles, researchers have developed novel high temperature anticorrosion coatings with thermal stabilities in excess of 1000 oC, strong adhesion to metallic substrates without the use of bond coats, tailorable film thicknesses and facile room temperature deposition pathways. Building from these efforts, NanoSonic will optimize down-selected nanocomposite coatings for thermal stabilities > 1600 oC, validate high temperature anticorrosion performance within simulated turbine environments, establish near-term platform integration pathways within a broad spectrum of DoD platforms and scale – up to 55-gallon batch production quantities for Phase III commercialization efforts. In addition, researchers will expedite DoD customer integration pathways by establishing facile deposition pathways (spray, paint and solution cast) within current turbine manufacturing processes at a fraction of the cost of currently employed EB-PVD coatings.