Abstract
Yttrium-doped barium zirconate (Y:BaZrO3, BZY) thin films were prepared using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on MgO substrates at 700 C by varying the ambient oxygen pressure. The microstructure and electrical properties were then investigated using transmission electron microscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Dense, well-crystallized BZY films were produced at ambient oxygen pressures (Pamb,O2) of ≤ 6.67 Pa. At Pamb,O2 ≥ 13.3 Pa, conical amorphous defects and porous microstructures were observed in the films. The conductivity of PLD BZY prepared at Pamb,O2 ≤ 13.3 Pa was measured to be close to that of reference polycrystalline BZY films, and the grain-boundary properties governed the overall ion conduction, with nano-grains being covered by the space charge depletion zones. At Pamb,O2 ≥ 13.3 Pa, microstructural defects significantly degraded the electrical properties.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 24-31 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Thin Solid Films |
| Volume | 552 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2014 Feb 3 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We are grateful to the Fusion Research Program for Green Technologies of the National Research Foundation (NRF), Korea, funded by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (Grant No. NRF-2011-0019300 ) and to the Young Fellow Program of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) for their financial support.
Keywords
- Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy
- Grain-boundary depletion
- Oxygen pressure
- Proton-conducting ceramics
- Pulse-laser deposition
- Solid oxide fuel cells
- Transmission electron microscopy
- Yttrium-doped barium zirconate
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Surfaces and Interfaces
- Surfaces, Coatings and Films
- Metals and Alloys
- Materials Chemistry