Gadolinium-Doped Ceria Ceramics with a Submicron Structure for Electrochemical Applications.

Abstract The effect of the composition and density of ceramic materials on the electrical conductivity is investigated for solid electrolytes that are sintered from Ce1 − xGdxO2 − δ (x = 0.09–0.31) nanopowders and have a submicron structure (grain size, 0.1–0.3 µm). The powders are prepared through evaporation of a target with a pulsed CO2 laser, followed by magnetic pulsed compaction. The ceramic materials are synthesized at temperatures in the range 1100–1300°C in air. The effect of the composition on the electrical conductivity is studied for the ion-conducting ceramic samples in the density range up to a limiting value (99.8% of the X-ray density). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]