Manipulating the grain boundary properties of BaCeO₃-based ceramic materials through sintering additives introduction

Abstract

BaCeO3-based materials represent a well-known family of proton-conducting electrolytes, which can be used in different solid oxide electrochemical devices. An effective operation of the latter across an intermediate-temperature range requires improved transport of PCEs, including their grain (G) and grain boundary (GB) components. In the present work, some 3d-elements in a small amount were used as sintering additives to verify the possibility of improving the GB conductivity of BaCe0.9Gd0.1O3–δ. It is shown that copper oxide (CuO) can be considered as one of the most effective sintering agents, since its use enables decreasing the GB density of the BCG ceramic material at the reduced sintering temperatures. The obtained results form a new tactic for designing new protonic electrolytes, whose conductivity might be prevail over ones containing Ni-based modifiers.