Environmental barrier coating

A slurry composition for applying an interlayer to an article, comprising:

• a carrier fluid;
• particles of an interlayer material, the particles having a multimodal size distribution wherein at least 50 percent of the particles have a diameter between about 0.5 and about 3 microns (0.02 to 0.1 mils);
• at least one sintering aid or precursor sintering aid;
• and
• at least one dispersant/binder.

A method of applying a top coat to an article comprising:

• providing an article having a bond coat;
• applying a slurry directly onto the bond coat, the slurry including particles of an interlayer material and at least one sintering aid or sintering aid precursor in a carrier fluid;
• and
• sintering the interlayer.