Influence of Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia on Microstructure and Electrical Properties of Doped Lanthanum Gallate

Lanthanum gallate with partial substitutions for strontium and magnesium shows higher ionic conductivity than traditional ionic conductors such as yttria-stabilized zirconia (8YSZ), and has been considered for application as solid electrolyte and electrode in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells operating at intermediate temperatures (500-700ºC). Parallel to the development of new solid electrolytes, improvement of the already known electrolytes has been one goal. In this work, the effects of adding 8YSZ to La0.9Sr0.1Ga0.8Mg0.2O3-δ (LSGM), on the microstructure and electrical performance were investigated. Compound electrolytes consisting of up to 20 wt.% 8YSZ were prepared by solid state reactions. Sintered pellets with up to 10 wt.% 8YSZ achieved near full density after sintering at 1450ºC and reduction in the fraction of impurity phases. Addition of 8YSZ promoted grain growth to LSGM. The higher ionic conductivity was obtained for 1 wt.% 8YSZ addition with slight decrease of the apparent activation energy.