A detailed study of hydrostatic press, sintering aids and temperature on the densification behavior of Ba(Zr,Y)O3−d electrolyte

•A novel hydrostatic pressing system was used to help densify BaZr0.85Y0.15O3−δ.•The contribution of CeO2, NiO and ZnO as sintering agents was detailed analyzed.•Morphological aspects of hydrostatic press were thoroughly investigated by SEM.•Electrochemical impedance spectra were utilized to understand the hydrostatic press effects.

A novel hydrostatic pressing system was used to assess the sintering performance of BaZr0.85Y0.15O3−δ (BZY15) and help densify the BZY15 pellets. The influence of the pressing pressure in a range of 350–600 MPa was assessed in terms of final density after sintering. The experiments were executed in single phased BZY15 and with the addition of CeO2, NiO and ZnO as sintering aids. Microstructural analysis was performed to evaluate the morphology of the grains and porosity. Results showed that NiO and ZnO are the best sintering aids with densification above 95% under sintering at 1400 °C. Grain size evolution was analyzed by microstructural analysis. Electrochemical behavior was analysed by impedance using symmetrical cells.