Ba(Zn1/3Ta2/3)O3 (BZT) ceramic was synthesized by a solid-state reaction method using BaCO3, ZnO, and Ta2O5 powders as the raw materials. The phase structure, high-temperature phase stability, thermal conductivity, coefficient of thermal expansion, and adaptability of spraying process of BZT were investigated and characterized, and compared with Ba(Mg1/3Ta2/3)O3 (BMT), Ba(Ni1/3Ta2/3)O3 (BNT), and Ba(Sr1/3Ta2/3)O3 (BST) to evaluate the potential application of BZT as a top coating material for thermal barrier coatings. The results indicate that no phase transition occurred during the heating from room temperature to 1500 oC, and BZT was quite stable up to 1600 °C for 48 h, without the occurrence of decomposition, showing excellent high-temperature phase stability; The thermal conductivity of BZT was only 1.65 W·m-1·K-1 at 1200 oC, which is significantly lower than that of BMT (2.59 W·m-1·K-1), BNT (2.56 W·m-1·K-1) and BST (2.11 W·m-1·K-1), showing better high-temperature heat insulation ability; The average coefficient of thermal expansion of 11.3 × 10-6 k-1 for BZT from 200 to 1400 oC was higher than that of BNT (10.7 × 10-6 k-1) and BST (8.1 × 10-6 k-1); The plasma-sprayed BZT coating had single perovskite structure, and the adhesion between the layers was compact for YSZ/BZT double-ceramic-layer coatings. Therefore, BZT ceramic might be a promising candidate material for novel thermal barrier coatings.