96Zr diffusion in polycrystalline scandia stabilized zirconia

Diffusion of the stable tracer isotope 96Zr in 12 mol% polycrystalline scandia stabilized zirconia was studied in air in the temperature range from 1200 to 1600 °C. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) was used to record the tracer diffusion profiles. The activation enthalpies for bulk and grain boundary diffusion were determined to be (5.0 ± 0.4) eV and (3.9 ± 0.5) eV, respectively, with the latter being six to seven orders in magnitude faster than the first. Using XRD, it was proved that the diffusion occurs only in the cubic phase.