Enhanced ionic transport properties and cubic phase stability in Sm 2 O 3 co‐doped ScSZ ceramics

Abstract

In this work, we reexamine Sm2O3 co-doping in scandia-stabilized zirconia(ScSZ) ceramics to assess its effectiveness for the stabilization of the cubic phaseand to contribute to the understanding of the electrical properties of these materials.Sm2O3 co-doped ScSZ ceramics with a composition of ZrO2‒10 mol%Sc2O3‒1 mol% Sm2O3 (1Sm‒10ScSZ) were prepared via mechanochemicallyassisted solid-state reaction, using sintering temperatures ranging from 1100◦Cto 1500◦C and high-energy milling times up to 60 min. In this way, it was possibleto evaluate the influence of the processing parameters on the stabilizationof the cubic polymorph, as well as on the microstructural and electrical propertiesof the resulting ceramics. Despite limited previous attention to this oxide,our results demonstrate that Sm2O3 is an effective co-dopant for ScSZ solid electrolytes,as they fully retain the cubic phase at room temperature and exhibit highbulk and grain-boundary ionic conductivities.