Effect of Field Assisted Sintering Technique (FAST) on Electro-Chemo-Mechanical Properties of Gadolinium-doped Ceria (CGO)

The main goal of this work is to investigate the effect of field assisted sintering technique (FAST) on electro-chemo-mechanical properties of bulk gadolinium doped ceria (Ce1-xGdxO2-δ). Nano-metric powders of 10 mol% CGO... [ view full abstract ]

The main goal of this work is to investigate the effect of field assisted sintering technique (FAST) on electro-chemo-mechanical properties of bulk gadolinium doped ceria (Ce_1-xGd_xO_2-δ). Nano-metric powders of 10 mol% CGO (Ce_0.9Gd_0.1O_1.95) were sintered to nearly full density (˃ 97 %) using FAST at relatively low temperature, i.e. 980 °C under 50 and 70 MPa uniaxial pressures respectively. The grain size of the sintered sample was about 100-150 nm. In addition to that, the results were compared with one CGO sample that was sintered by conventional method at 1450 °C, for 10 h in air. Electro-chemo-mechanical properties were measured and compared to conventional sintered sample. The FAST materials reveal high ionic transport and low blocking effect at grain boundary. In particular, FAST sintering forges the microstructure and can change the arrangement of the oxygen vacancies in the microstructures, leading to unexpected (non-equilibrium) properties.