Two different preparative routes, one a wet chemical route and the other a traditional solid state sintering route, were used to synthesise the O-deficient perovskite BaZr0.5In0.5O3−δ. Analysis of X-ray powder diffraction data showed that both phases adopted cubic crystal structures. Environmental scanning electron microscope images showed that a smaller grain size was obtained for the wet chemical route sample. Dynamic thermo-gravimetric analysis indicated significant mass losses for hydrated samples compared to their respective dried samples. Proton conductivity was investigated for hydrated and as-prepared phases under dry and wet atmospheres, respectively. The hydrated sample prepared via the solid state sintering route displayed a higher proton conductivity under dry conditions, reflecting the presence of fewer grain boundaries in this sample.

Influence of Microstructure on Electrical Properties in BaZr0.5In0.5O3−δ Proton Conductor. I.Ahmed, S.G.Eriksson, E.Ahlberg, C.S.Knee: Solid State Ionics, 2008, 179[21-26], 1155-60