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Structural, morphological, and electrical properties of doped ceria as a solid electrolyte for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells

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Abstract

The solid solutions of CeO2 with one or more rare-earth oxides among Yb2O3, Sm2O3, and Gd2O3 are synthesized by either modified glycine nitrate procedure (MGNP) or self-propagating reaction at room temperature (SPRT). The overall mole fraction of rare-earth oxide dopants was x = 0.2. The characterization was committed by XRPD, TEM, BET, and Raman Spectroscopy methods. According to XRPD and Raman spectroscopy, the obtained products presented the single-phase solid solutions with basic fluorite-type CeO2 structure, regardless on the number and the concentration of dopants. Both XRPD and TEM analysis evidenced the nanometer particle dimensions. The defect model was applied to calculate lattice parameters of single-, co-, and multi-doped solids. The sintering of the sample nanopowders was performed at 1550 °C, in air atmosphere. The sintered samples were characterized by XRPD, SEM, and complex impedance methods. The sintering did not affect the concentration ratios of the constituents. The highest conductivity at 700 °C amounting to 2.14 × 10−2 and 1.92 × 10−2 Ω−1 cm−1 was measured for the sample Ce0.8Sm0.08Gd0.12O2−δ, synthesized by SPRT and MGNP methods, respectively. The corresponding activation energies of conductivity, measured in the temperature range 500–700 °C, amounted to 0.24 and 0.23 eV.

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Acknowledgements

This work has been supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Serbia (project number: III 45012, III 45014 and III 45007).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Nuclear Sciences “Vinča”, Belgrade University of Belgrade, Mihaila Petrovića Alasa 12-14, Vinča, 11000, Serbia

    M. Stojmenović, J. Gulicovski & V. Dodevski

  2. Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia

    M. Žunić

  3. Faculty of Physical Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Studenski trg 12-16, 11158, Belgrade, Serbia

    D. Bajuk-Bogdanović, I. Holclajtner-Antunović & S. Mentus

  4. Serbian Academy of Science and Arts, Knez Mihajlova 35, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia

    S. Mentus

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  1. M. Stojmenović
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Correspondence to M. Stojmenović.

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Stojmenović, M., Žunić, M., Gulicovski, J. et al. Structural, morphological, and electrical properties of doped ceria as a solid electrolyte for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells. J Mater Sci 50, 3781–3794 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-015-8943-y

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