La2Zr2O7 (LZO), a potential thermal barrier coating material, is extensively used for components bearing remarkably higher temperatures due to its phase stability up to 2300 degrees C, but the lifetime of the pure LZO coatings is generally limited by the low toughness due to the cracking driving force. In this study, to decrease the driving force facilitating the failure of LZO layer and then extend the durability of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs), reducing modulus design on a toughening ceramic surface is introduced into the system. Three groups of LZO/YSZ double ceramic layers (DCL) TBCs with different low/high modulus (E) combination are used to satisfy the design. The crack driving force is evaluated by the strain energy release rate (SERR) at the tip of the LZO/YSZ interface crack. The total SERR G decreases from 28.2 N/m to 20.6 N/m when the thickness of low E LZO layer increases from 0 to 2 units (1 unit = 48 mu m low E LZO), which reduces the cracking driving force of TBCs. After subjected to the gradient thermal cyclic tests with the surface temperature of 1300 degrees C. The TBCs system with 2 low E LZO shows the longest lifetime, which is 50% higher than that of pure YSZ TBCs. Thereby, reducing modulus design on a toughening ceramic surface may provide an alternative approach to improve the durability of TBCs.