The effect of cobalt oxide addition on the properties of gadolinium doped barium cerate

Abstract

In the present work the effect of cobalt oxide addition on the density and on the electrical properties of gadolinium doped barium cerate is investigated. A series of BaCe0.9-xGd0.1CoxO3-δ (?=0.00, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07, 0.10) samples were prepared according to the conventional solid state reaction synthesis technique. The experimental results indicated that the addition of cobalt oxide leads to the improvement of the sintering properties and the enhancement of the grain dimensions. According to the four-probe dc electrical conductivity measurements, in the temperature interval of 600-900°C the values of electrical conductivity of the BaCe0.9-?Gd0.1Co?O3-δ samples are lower than those of the undoped BaCe0.9Gd0.1O3-δ in wet air. However, in reducing atmosphere this difference becomes very small in the case of BaCe0.89Gd0.1Co0.01O3- δ, leading to the conclusion that cobalt can be successfully employed as a sintering additive of gadolinium doped barium cerates.