A study was made of the local-ion-hopping mechanism of O ions (vacancies) in Sc3+-doped ZrO2 by measuring the quasi-elastic light scattering as well as the electrical conductivity. The activation energy in the cubic phase obtained by means of fixed-frequency measurement of the quasi-elastic light scattering intensity was 0.55eV and could be attributed to the O vacancy hopping around the dopant cation(s) (Sc3+). The activation energy obtained from the electrical conductivity was 0.83eV in the cubic phase and 0.95eV in the rhombohedral phase. The activation energy in the cubic phase was considered to reflect O vacancy hops from one Sc3+ trap to another. One reason for the high electrical conductivity in Sc3+-doped ZrO2 was considered to be the freedom of the vacancy to change sites around the Sc3+ traps, which permitted it to find easily the hopping path from one trap to another having the minimum activation energy.

Local-Hopping Mechanism of an Oxygen Vacancy in ZrO2 Doped with Sc3+ Studied by Measuring Quasielastic Light Scattering. A.Nakajima, M.Ishigame: Solid State Ionics, 2002, 146[1-2], 133-41