Progress in High-Temperature Thermal and Environmental Barrier Coatings: Material Discovery and Optimization

This review examines recent progress in high-temperature thermal and environmental barrier coatings (T/EBCs), focusing on material innovation and optimization strategies. With turbine inlet temperatures critical to enhancing thermal efficiency in aerospace and energy systems, nickel-based superalloys and ceramic matrix composites face limitations under extreme conditions, particularly in water vapor and CMAS-rich environments. Advanced coating systems, especially high-entropy rare-earth ceramics (e.g., zirconates, aluminates, tantalates, and silicates), demonstrate superior thermophysical properties, phase stability, and corrosion resistance owing to their unique composition and lattice distortion effects. Furthermore, artificial intelligence accelerates material discovery and optimization through machine learning-driven design, process parameter tuning, and lifetime prediction models. This work summarizes the evolution of T/EBC materials and highlights AI-enabled advances in coating development, providing insights into future research directions for extreme environment applications.