Luminescent material compositions and structures incorporating the same

1. A turbine component having a structure applied thereto as a thermal barrier coating, the structure incorporating a luminescent material composition comprising a first, lower layer which comprises substantially only a first phase, and a second, upper layer which comprises the first phase, as a matrix phase, a second phase containing Y and Al distributed within the matrix phase, and at least one luminescent dopant.

2. The turbine component of claim 1 , wherein the matrix phase includes the at least one luminescent dopant or the second phase includes the at least one luminescent dopant.

3. The turbine component of claim 1 , wherein the first phase of the first layer and the matrix phase of the second layer comprise a zirconia-based phase, yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ), partially stabilized zirconia (PSZ), or a zirconate pyrochlore (A 2 Zr 2 O 7 ) where A is one or more elements selected from the lanthanide series.

4. The turbine component of claim 1 , wherein the second phase includes yttria and an aluminate, a YAP-based phase, YAlO 3 , a YAG-based phase, Y 3 Al 5 O 12 or Y 3 Al x Fe 5-x O 12 , where x>0.

5. A structure incorporating a luminescent material composition comprising a first, lower layer which comprises substantially only a first phase, and a second, upper layer which comprises the first phase, as a matrix phase, a second phase distributed within the matrix phase, and at least one luminescent dopant, wherein the second phase comprises atomic clusters or particles which are distributed within the matrix phase and the clusters or particles have an elongate or ribbon shape and an average length of less than about 150 μm.

6. The turbine component of claim 5 , wherein the second phase comprises an yttria-based phase or yttria.

7. The turbine component of claim 1 , wherein the second phase comprises atomic clusters or particles which are distributed within the matrix phase and the clusters or particles have a generally uniform shape and an average size of between 1 nm and 5 μm.

8. The turbine component of claim 1 , containing the second phase in an amount between 0.1 wt % and 20 wt %.

9. The turbine component of claim 1 , wherein the second phase is a substantially crystalline phase, at least partially an amorphous phase or substantially an amorphous phase.

10. The turbine component of claim 1 , wherein the second phase is a phase which is chemically and physically stable at temperatures of up to about 1700 C or at temperatures of up to about 1700 C when thermally cycled.

11. The turbine component of claim 1 , formed by (i) plasma spraying from precursor powders of the matrix phase and the second phase or (ii) co-precipitation from a solution containing precursor materials in stoichiometric amounts.

12. A turbine component having the structure of claim 5 applied thereto as a thermal barrier coating.

13. The turbine component of claim 1 , wherein the at least one luminescent dopant comprises one or more elements selected from the lanthanide series, a single dopant selected from the elements Ce, Dy, Er, Eu, Gd, Ho, Nd, Pr, Sm, Tb, Tm and Yb or a pair of dopants selected from the pairs of elements Gd and Er, Gd and Nd, Gd and Yb, Yb and Nd and Yb and Sm.

14. The turbine component of claim 7 , wherein the clusters of particles have an average size of between 1 nm and 2 μm.

15. The turbine component of claim 1 , wherein the second phase comprises atomic clusters or particles which are distributed within the matrix phase and the clusters or particles have an elongate or ribbon shape and an average length of less than about 150 μm.

16. The turbine component of claim 15 , wherein the clusters or particles have an average length of less than about 100 μm.

17. The turbine component of claim 15 , wherein the clusters or particles have an average thickness of less than about 20 μm.

18. The turbine component of claim 5 , wherein the first phase of the first layer and the matrix phase of the second layer comprise a zirconia-based phase, yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ), partially stabilized zirconia (PSZ), or a zirconate pyrochlore (A 2 Zr 2 O 7 ) where A is one or more elements selected from the lanthanide series.

19. The turbine component of claim 5 , wherein the second phase comprises a GdAlO 3 -based phase or GdAlO 3 .

20. The turbine component of claim 5 , wherein the second phase comprises an A 2 B 2 O 7 (pyrochlore) phase, where A comprises one or more elements selected from the lanthanide series or the actinide series and B comprises one or more elements selected from the group of transition metals.

21. The turbine component of claim 1 , containing the second phase in an amount between 0.1 wt % and 10 wt %.

22. The turbine component of claim 1 , containing the second phase in an amount between 0.1 wt % and 5 wt %.

23. The turbine component of claim 1 , containing the second phase in an amount between 0.1 wt % and 2 wt %.

24. The turbine component of claim 1 , containing the second phase in an amount between 0.1 wt % and 1 wt %.

25. The turbine component of claim 7 , wherein the clusters of particles have an average size of between 1 nm and 1 μm.

26. The turbine component of claim 7 , wherein the clusters of particles have an average size of 1 nm and 100 nm.

27. The turbine component of claim 7 , wherein the clusters of particles have an average size of between 1 nm and 50 nm.

28. The turbine component of claim 7 , wherein the clusters of particles have an average size of between 20 nm and 50 nm.

29. The turbine component of claim 7 , wherein the clusters of particles have an average size of between 1 nm and 20 nm.

30. The turbine component of claim 7 , wherein the clusters of particles have an average size of between 1 nm and 10 nm.

31. The turbine component of claim 15 , wherein the clusters or particles have an average length of less than about 50 μm.

32. The turbine component of claim 15 , wherein the clusters or particles have an average thickness of less than about 10 μm.

33. The turbine component of claim 15 , wherein the clusters or particles have an average thickness of less than about 5 μm.

34. A turbine component having a structure applied thereto as a thermal barrier coating, the structure incorporating a luminescent material composition comprising a first, lower layer which comprises substantially only a first phase, and a second, upper layer which comprises the first phase, as a matrix phase, a second phase distributed within the matrix phase, and at least one luminescent dopant, wherein the second phase comprises atomic clusters or particles which are distributed within the matrix phase and the clusters or particles have a generally uniform shape and an average size of between 1 nm and 5 μm.

35. The turbine component of claim 34 , wherein the clusters of particles have an average size of between 1 nm and 1 μm.

36. The turbine component of claim 34 , wherein the clusters of particles have an average size of 1 nm and 100 nm.