Synthesis and Characterization of Ceria- and Samaria-Based Powders and Solid Electrolytes as Promising Components of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Abstract

Finely dispersed (CeO2)0.95(Sm2O3)0.05, (CeO2)0.90(Sm2O3)0.10 and (CeO2)0.80(Sm2O3)0.20 mesoporous powders with a specific pore volume of 0.080–0.092 cm3/g and a specific surface of 50–83 m2/g are synthesized by the co-precipitation of cerium and samarium hydroxides from the corresponding nitrate solutions. The prepared powders are used to obtain ceramic nanomaterials with a fluorite-like cubic crystal lattice with a coherent scattering region (CSR) of about 65–69 nm (1300 °C). The study of physicochemical and electrophysical properties of the prepared ceramics revealed the obtained materials featuring an open porosity of 2–6% and a predominantly ionic type of electric conductivity (ion transport numbers ti = 0.85–0.73 in the temperature range 300–700 °C). The conductivity in solid solutions proceeds via a vacancy mechanism with σ700 °C= 3.3·10−2 S/cm. The synthesized ceramic materials are shown to be promising as solid oxide electrolytes in medium temperature fuel cells.