The main purpose of this work is to verify the influence of the addition of lithium on the densification and electrical conductivity of a gadolinium-doped ceria electrolyte. The lithium dopant was added directly during the sol-gel synthesis without a grinding step or the use of a dispersant solution. Electrolytes were prepared from powders and sintered at 1250 and 1500°C. The characterization techniques used were XRD, FTIR spectroscopy, SEM, BET analysis, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for ionic conductivity. The densification achieved was >97 and >99% of the theoretical density at sintering temperatures of 1250 and 1500°C, respectively, by adding 2mol% of lithium. The densification of gadolinium-doped ceria is caused by lithium deposition in the grain boundaries, which reduces structural imperfections. The ionic conductivity of lithium-doped pellets sintered at 1250°C is the same as that of pure ones sintered at 1500°C with a maximum value of 5.2×10-2Scm-1 at 800°C. Lithium addition is an effective strategy to reduce the sintering temperature and retain high conductivity values. Lithium role: Lithium promotes densification within compacted Ce0.8Gd0.2O1.9 powders, which facilitates the formation of a thin liquid film at grain boundaries during sintering. The presence of such a film aids the complete adhesion, stabilizes the shape of the grains, and reduces voids throughout the pellet. Densification is promoted because the lithium layer helps the surface rearrangement and mass transport by increasing the diffusion rate.

Influence of Lithium on the Sintering Behavior and Electrical Properties of Ce0.8Gd0.2O1.9 for Intermediate-Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Ferone, Claudio
Writing – Review & Editing
;
Cioffi, Raffaele
Writing – Review & Editing
2016-01-01

Abstract

The main purpose of this work is to verify the influence of the addition of lithium on the densification and electrical conductivity of a gadolinium-doped ceria electrolyte. The lithium dopant was added directly during the sol-gel synthesis without a grinding step or the use of a dispersant solution. Electrolytes were prepared from powders and sintered at 1250 and 1500°C. The characterization techniques used were XRD, FTIR spectroscopy, SEM, BET analysis, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for ionic conductivity. The densification achieved was >97 and >99% of the theoretical density at sintering temperatures of 1250 and 1500°C, respectively, by adding 2mol% of lithium. The densification of gadolinium-doped ceria is caused by lithium deposition in the grain boundaries, which reduces structural imperfections. The ionic conductivity of lithium-doped pellets sintered at 1250°C is the same as that of pure ones sintered at 1500°C with a maximum value of 5.2×10-2Scm-1 at 800°C. Lithium addition is an effective strategy to reduce the sintering temperature and retain high conductivity values. Lithium role: Lithium promotes densification within compacted Ce0.8Gd0.2O1.9 powders, which facilitates the formation of a thin liquid film at grain boundaries during sintering. The presence of such a film aids the complete adhesion, stabilizes the shape of the grains, and reduces voids throughout the pellet. Densification is promoted because the lithium layer helps the surface rearrangement and mass transport by increasing the diffusion rate.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11367/64413
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