The Process of Scientometrics in the Field of Thermal Barrier Coatings as an Indicator of the Progress of Materials Engineering

Thermal Barrier Coatings (TBCs) reduce the working temperature of the substrates and protect them from hot corrosion and oxidation. In recent years, scientific research into the TBCs and their innovative applications have gained increasing popularity insofar as since 1980, the number of relevant published articles has increased up to about 400 times annually. These coatings play an essential role in enhacing the efficiency of the substrate and engines and for this reason, tracking their research process can help advance future research studies and accelerate their progress expansion rate. According to the results from scientometrics and tracking research, the United States was initially ranked first in article production in this field of surface engineering, followed by Germany and England. However, since 2011, China has remained in the first place by a large margin. The combined annual growth rates of Iran and India reached their highest value, indicating that these countries concentrated on the gas turbine and energy sectors. Since these coatings play a significant role in improving the performance of gas turbines, variations in their scientific progress can be considered one of the leading indicators of material engineering progress in such turbines.