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Ceria-based electrolytes with high surface area and improved conductivity for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells

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Abstract

High-purity-doped ceria compounds Ce1-x RE x O2-δ (RE = Sm, Gd; 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.30) were synthesized by the Pechini method at 400 °C. Nanostructured products of crystallite size 5–11 nm were obtained, presenting a single fluorite cubic phase and high surface area values in the range of 75–110 m2g−1. Dense ceramic products with a relative density of 96–98 % resulted after sintering at 1450 °C. Impedance spectroscopy was used to study the conductivity of these compounds in the temperature range of 200–750 °C. Between 600 and 730 °C, the compounds with x = 0.15, 0.20 show conductivities on the order of 10−1 Scm−1, with activation energies between 0.9 and 1.1 eV. Surface areas and conductivity values were found to be comparable with the highest values reported in the literature for similar compounds.

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Acknowledgements

PERA (175598) thanks CONACyT for grant 203342. The authors gratefully thank D. Cabrero, O. Novelo, J. Romero, H. Pfeiffer (all at the IIM), and A. Ponce (CICATA) for technical assistance and acknowledge PAPIIT-UNAM (IN119010) and CONACyT (ECOS-M13P01) projects for financial support.

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  1. Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, UNAM, Circuito Exterior s/n. Ciudad Universitaria, C. P. 04510, México, DF, Mexico

    P. Ramos-Alvarez, M. E. Villafuerte-Castrejón, G. González, C. Flores-Morales & J. A. Chávez-Carvayar

  2. Institut de Recherche de Chimie Paris, IRCP, UMR 8247 du CNRS, Chimie ParisTech (PSL), ENSCP, 11 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75231, Paris Cedex 05, France

    M. Cassir

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  1. P. Ramos-Alvarez
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Ramos-Alvarez, P., Villafuerte-Castrejón, M.E., González, G. et al. Ceria-based electrolytes with high surface area and improved conductivity for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells. J Mater Sci 52, 519–532 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-016-0350-5

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