Electrical conductivity and grain boundary composition of Gd-doped and Gd/Pr co-doped ceria

• We employed impedance spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy.
• Pr/Gd co-doped ceria had greater grain boundary conductivity than Gd-doped ceria.
• We employed electron energy-loss spectroscopy in a scanning electron microscope.
• Gd and Pr segregation was characterized for grain boundaries.
• Grain boundaries are suspected to play role in conductivity enhancement.

We characterize electrical conductivity, microstructure, nano-scale grain boundary structure and chemistry of ceria electrolytes with nominal compositions of Gd0.2Ce0.8O2-δ (GDC) and Gd0.11Pr0.04Ce0.85O2-δ (GPDC). The electrolytes are fabricated using mixed oxide nanopowders synthesized by spray drying. AC impedance spectroscopy was performed from 150 °C to 700 °C in air to determine grain-interior electrical conductivity. Grain-boundary conductivity was determined below 300 °C. The grain-interior conductivity of the GPDC was higher than that of GDC by as much as 10 times, depending on the temperature. The GPDC specific grain-boundary conductivity was measured to be approximately 100 times higher than that of GDC. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) in a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) confirmed the grain-to-grain compositional uniformity of both materials following heat treatments. Grain boundaries were free of glassy intergranular phases; dopant concentration and Ce oxidation state were found to vary significantly near grain boundaries. Boundary core composition was estimated from STEM EELS to be Gd0.62Ce0.38O2-δ, and Gd0.29Pr0.16Ce0.55O2-δ in GDC and GPDC, respectively. Pr segregation to grain boundaries in the GPDC is hypothesized to enhance conductivity by both decreasing oxygen vacancy migration energy, and inducing mixed ionic–electronic conductivity in the near-boundary region.