Structure and cyclic oxidation resistance of Pt, Pt/Pd-modified and simple aluminide coatings on CMSX-4 superalloy

The coatings were prepared by the means of Pt and Pt/Pd galvanizing, followed by vapor phase aluminizing at 1050°C. Microstructural and phase analysis revealed that all the investigated coatings consisted mainly of β-NiAl phase, however the Pt-modified aluminide coating also contained PtAl₂ phase and pure platinum precipitates. The cross-sectional microstructure of the coatings was zonal and composed of β-NiAl phase zone and the diffusion zone. The Pt modified aluminide coating's cross-section also incorporated an outermost zone consisting of β-NiAl and PtAl₂ phases. The concentration profiles proved that both Pt and Pd contents decrease gradually inwards the modified coatings. Cyclic oxidation tests at 1100°C proved that Pt/Pd-modified aluminide coatings exhibit the best performance under cyclic conditions. The analysis of oxidation kinetics curves showed that the course of simple aluminide coating's oxidation is slightly different from that of Pt- and Pt/Pd-modified aluminide coatings.