ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF Ba(Ce,Zr)O3 SOLID SOLUTION PREPARED BY A TWO- STEP SINTERING METHOD

Abstract

A single perovskite-phase of BaCe_0.54Zr_0.36Y_0.1O_2.95 (BCZY) solid solution was successfully prepared by a sol-gel method. The powder was compacted using hydraulic press and sintered using a two-step sintering (TSS) method at T₁=1500 °C and T₂=1450 °C with respective 25 °Cmin^-1 and 50 °Cmin^-1 heating and cooling rates. Electrical conductivity of the sintered pellet was measured in air using an impedance spectroscopy at temperature in the range of 200-800 °C. Impedance results showed that the grain semicircle was only observed at T = 200 °C and 250 °C with capacitance values associated to grain and grain boundary were 10^-11 F and 10^-9 F, respectively. All the responses were resolved by a fitting procedure using an equivalent circuit based on the brick- layer model. Electrical conductivity of the sample in air at T= 500 °C was 3.13x10^-4 Scm^-1.