Effect of the calcination temperature on the properties of Sm-doped CeO2

Samarium (Sm)-doped ceria (CeO2) (SDC), a ceria-based material, is a leading electrolyte for solid oxide fuel cell applications. In this work, fully dense ceria ceramics doped with 20 mol% samarium were fabricated through the Pechini method. Characterization studies including X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed to investigate the properties of the SDC powders calcined at 400 and 500 degrees C for 4 h. XRD and SEM results showed that a complete solid solution between ceria and samarium was obtained when the sintering temperature and time were 1400 degrees C and 6 h, respectively. The relative densities of the sintered pellets were over 90% of the theoretical density. The spectroscopic properties of the powders were studied by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Two-probe alternating-current impedance spectroscopy was used to study the grain, grain boundary and total ionic conductivity of the doped samples at 250-750 degrees C.