Enhanced Ionic Conductivity in Ce_0.8Gd_0.2O_2-δ Nanofiber: Effect of the Crystallite Size

Abstract:

The relationship between the microstructure and the conductivity of nanocrystallized oxygen ionic electrolytes has been received great interest since it provides guidelines for designing electrolytes with high performances which might find applications in fuel cells and oxygen sensors. Here, we present a strategy for controlling the calcination temperature to tune the crystallite size and ionic transport properties of solid electrolyte. Different crystallite sizes of Ce_0.8Gd_0.2O_2-δ (CGO) nanofiber electrolytes were prepared. As the average crystallite size decreased from 27 nm to 8 nm, the conductivity of the nanofibers increased by more than five times. An exceptionally high oxide ion conductivity of 0.023 S∙cm^-1 for the nanofibers was observed at 550°C. These insights into the effect of the crystallite size on the structure and the conductivity allow a better control of the electrical properties of solid electrolytes, which might foster their applications in electrochemical devices operable at lower temperatures.

• Periodical: Solid State Phenomena (Volume 281)
• Pages: 761-766
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/SSP.281.761
• Online since: August 2018
• Authors: Meng Fei Zhang, Tian Jun Li, Xiao Hui Zhao, Hua Jian Zhou, Wei Pan*
• Keywords: CGO, Crystallite Size, Electrical Properties, Electrospinning

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