Impact of sintering procedures on the densification and conductivity of BaZr0.4Ce0.4Y0.1Yb0.1O3−δ electrolyte for protonic ceramic fuel cells
Abstract
BaZr0.4Ce0.4Y0.1Yb0.1O2.9 (BZCYYb4411), a promising proton-conducting electrolyte, requires high sintering temperatures, typically 1600 degrees C, to be densified to acceptable relative densities, greater than 90 %. This study explores three sintering strategies to reduce the sintering temperature to 1400 degrees C. The approaches include (1) external ZnO addition, (2) internal Zn doping, and (3) fluorite-phase Zr0.4Ce0.4Y0.1Yb0.1O1.9 (ZCYYb4411) addition as a sintering aid. All methods yielded pure ceramics adopting the I4/mcm tetragonal perovskite phase, with Zn-based strategies achieving relative densities above 90 %. In contrast, the addition of the fluorite phase proved less effective, particularly at higher concentrations. In most cases, the conventional calcination step was avoided, and a relative density above 90 % was achieved through single-step sintering at 1400 degrees C, thereby improving energy efficiency and simplifying the process. The selected samples were subjected to SEM analysis and conductivity testing, revealing a high conductivity level: BaZr0.4Ce0.4Y0.05Yb0.1O3−δ reached 0.9 x 10(-2) S cm(-1), while BZCYYb4411 with 0.5 wt% ZnO addition achieved 0.6 x 10(-2) S cm(-1) at 700 degrees C in humidified N2 underscoring the effectiveness of these approaches in enhancing the sintering of BZCYYb4411 while maintaining a high level of conductivity.
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BibTeX
@article{hamze2026impact,
title = {{Impact of sintering procedures on the densification and conductivity of BaZr$_0.4$Ce$_0.4$Y$_0.1$Yb$_0.1$O$_3-δ$ electrolyte for protonic ceramic fuel cells}},
author = {Lozane Hamze and Annie Le Gal La Salle and Olivier Joubert and Eric Quarez},
journal = {International Journal of Hydrogen Energy},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.05.241},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05165881v2},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Impact of sintering procedures on the densification and conductivity of BaZr_0.4Ce_0.4Y_0.1Yb_0.1O_3−δ electrolyte for protonic ceramic fuel cells
AU - Lozane Hamze
AU - Annie Le Gal La Salle
AU - Olivier Joubert
AU - Eric Quarez
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/06
JO - International Journal of Hydrogen Energy
DO - 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.05.241
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05165881v2
AB - BaZr_0.4Ce_0.4Y_0.1Yb_0.1O_2.9 (BZCYYb4411), a promising proton-conducting electrolyte, requires high sintering temperatures, typically 1600 degrees C, to be densified to acceptable relative densities, greater than 90 %. This study explores three sintering strategies to reduce the sintering temperature to 1400 degrees C. The approaches include (1) external ZnO addition, (2) internal Zn doping, and (3) fluorite-phase Zr0.4Ce0.4Y0.1Yb0.1O1.9 (ZCYYb4411) addition as a sintering aid. All methods yielded pure ceramics adopting the I4/mcm tetragonal perovskite phase, with Zn-based strategies achieving relative densities above 90 %. In contrast, the addition of the fluorite phase proved less effective, particularly at higher concentrations. In most cases, the conventional calcination step was avoided, and a relative density above 90 % was achieved through single-step sintering at 1400 degrees C, thereby improving energy efficiency and simplifying the process. The selected samples were subjected to SEM analysis and conductivity testing, revealing a high conductivity level: BaZr_0.4Ce_0.4Y_0.05Yb_0.1O_3−δ reached 0.9 x 10(-2) S cm(-1), while BZCYYb4411 with 0.5 wt% ZnO addition achieved 0.6 x 10(-2) S cm(-1) at 700 degrees C in humidified N2 underscoring the effectiveness of these approaches in enhancing the sintering of BZCYYb4411 while maintaining a high level of conductivity.
SN - 0360-3199
SN - 1879-3487
ER -