Enhancement of density and ionic conductivity for garnet-type Li5La3Ta2O12 solid electrolyte by self-consolidation strategy

Garnet-type Li₅La₃Ta₂O₁₂ (LLTaO) solid electrolyte is a potential candidate component for future all-solid-state batteries due to its extraordinary stability against the reaction with molten lithium. In contrast with traditional cold isostatic pressing (CIP) method, which generally pursues ultra-high pressure, this paper tries to enhance the density and ionic conductivity of LLTaO by self-consolidation strategy without the assistance of any pressing operations. A LLTaO bulk with a relative density of 95% is obtained. SEM images reveal that the bulk sample is assembled by large dense particles in size of tens of microns indicating that the interstitial space among the particles has been dramatically minimized. Accordingly, the total ionic conductivity and the bulk ionic conductivity at 30?°C are promoted up about one order of magnitude higher to 2.63?× 10^?5 S?cm^?1 and 1.41?×?10^?4 S?cm^?1, respectively. Moreover, the lithium ionic migration network in the crystalline unit cell of LLTaO is first explored from its assembled way. A hexagon-like basic unit with tetrahedral Li1 joint sites and Li1- - Li1 edges is identified. The tetrahedral Li1 sites act as crucial junctions for the transportation of lithium ions. This work would significantly stimulate the development of LLTaO electrolyte membrane technology.     

Structures and electrical conductivities of Gd3+ and Fe3+ co-doped cerium oxide electrolytes sintered at low temperature for ILT-SOFCs

Gd³⁺ and Fe³⁺ co-doped cerium oxide electrolytes, Ce_0.9Gd_0.1‐xFe_xO_2-δ (x?=?0.00, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07, 0.10), were prepared by co-precipitation for ultrafine precursor powders and sintering for densified ceramic pellets. The crystal and microscopic structures were characterized by XRD, FESEM and Raman spectroscopy and their electrical properties were studied by AC impedance spectroscopy and the measurement of single cell's outputs. In comparison with Ce_0.9Gd_0.1O_1.95, the ceramic pellets of Ce_0.9Gd_0.1‐xFe_xO_2-δ with a relative density of 95% can be obtained after sintered at 1000?°C for 5?h, showing a remarkably enhanced sintering performance with a sintering temperature reduction of 500?°C, which might be ascribed to the highly activated migration of constituent species in the cerium oxide lattice doped with Gd³⁺ and Fe³⁺ions. Moreover, the electrical conductivity of Ce_0.9Gd_0.1‐xFe_xO_2-δ can be significantly enhanced depending on the mole fraction x, with Ce_0.9Gd_0.07Fe_0.03O_1.95 exhibiting the highest electrical conductivity of 38 mS/cm at 800?°C, about 36% higher than that of Ce_0.9Gd_0.1O_1.95 electrolyte sintered at 1500?°C for 5?h. So, The Gd³⁺ and Fe³⁺ co-doped cerium oxide would be an excellent candidate electrolyte for ILT SOFCs due to its prominent sintering performance and enhanced electrical conductivity.     

Structure,electrical and dielectric properties of Ca substituted BaTiO3 ceramics

BaTi_1-xCa_xO_3-x [BTC100x] ceramics were synthesized via solid-state reaction method. Effect of Ca substitution on the structure, electrical and dielectric properties of BTC100x ceramics was systematically investigated. Calcined BTC100x powders were in tetragonal phase when x?≤?0.01, whereas transformed to cubic at x?>?0.01. Additionally, the diffraction peak (200) shifted to lower angles with increasing x, indicating increased unit cell volume. Meanwhile, Ba_0.97Ca_0.03TiO₃ [BC3T] ceramic was prepared and studied, to compare with BaTi_0.97Ca_0.03O_2.97 (BTC3). It was found that pure BaTiO₃ [BT] and BC3T ceramics had the similar structural and dielectric properties, whereas BTC3 ceramic showed much difference，XRD patterns, Raman spectrum, impedance spectra and dielectric-temperature spectra provided strong evidence of Ca²⁺ substitution at Ti site in BT lattice. Finally, BTC100x ceramics were produced and dielectric properties were investigated. With increasing x, the Curie temperature decreased from 128?°C (BT) to 42?°C (BTC5).     

Ultrasonic-vibration-assisted laser annealing of fluorine-doped tin oxide thin films for improving optical and electrical properties: Overlapping rate optimization

An ultrasonic-vibration-assisted laser annealing method was developed to enhance the performance of fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) thin films. The influences of ultrasonic vibration, laser scan line overlapping rate (L_OR) and laser spot overlapping rate (S_OR) on surface morphology, FTO layer thickness, RMS roughness, crystal structure and photoelectric properties of the FTO films were investigated. The results indicated that the presence of ultrasonic vibration during laser annealing could significantly enhance the film compactness, and using moderate L_OR and S_OR values resulted in significantly decreased FTO layer thicknesses and RMS roughnesses as well as slightly increased crystallite sizes, thus yielding significantly improved optical transmittance values and slightly enhanced electrical conductivity values. It was found that the optimal L_OR and S_OR values for ultrasonic-vibration-assisted laser annealing of the FTO films were 80% and 90%, respectively. The as-obtained film possessed the best overall photoelectric property with an average transmittance (400–800?nm) of 85.9%, a sheet resistance of 8.7?Ω/sq and a figure of merit of 2.51?×?10^–2 Ω^–1. This work may be of great significance in terms of performance optimization of transparent conducting oxide (TCO) thin films.     

Tailoring the electron-blocking layer by addition of YSZ to Ba-containing anode for improvement of ceria-based solid oxide fuel cell

The in-situ fabrication of an electron-blocking layer between the Ba-containing anode and the ceria-based electrolyte is an effective approach in suppressing the internal electronic leakage in ceria-based solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). To improve the thickness of the electron-blocking layer and to research the effect of the layer thickness on the improvement of SOFC, a Ba-containing compound (0.6NiO-0.4BaZr_0.1Ce_0.7Y_0.2O_3-δ) modified by Y stabilized zirconia (YSZ) was employed as a composite anode in this research. SEM analyses demonstrated that the thickness of the interlayer can be simply controlled by regulating the proportion of YSZ at anode. The in-situ formed interlayer in the cell with the anode modified by 20?mol% YSZ possesses a thickness of 0.9?µm which is more suitable for the cell achieving an enhanced performance.     

Study of tribological properties of polymer derived ZrB2-SiC ceramics

ZrB₂–SiC composite ceramics with different compositions (20 and 60?vol% ZrB₂–SiC, 20ZS and 60 ZS, respectively) were prepared. Wear tests were conducted on the obtained ceramics in multiple distances using ball-on-flat tribotester. Volume loss and cross-sectional profiles of samples were measured by three–dimensional (3D) profilometer to study the onset of track wear damages. Pressure–depth curves and hardness were measured by indentation to investigate defects produced in the tribo-film by the debris. The debris of 20ZS was found to be joined to the tribo-film and accumulated with distance, shifting from microcrack (＜10,000 cycles) to abrasive wear (50,000 cycles). Compared to 20ZS, lower debris accumulation of 60ZS resulted in better wear resistance, leading to thinner and more stable non-substrate regions for this sample. These differences between both samples basically resulted from different particle sizes. Fine grains were easily pulled out in the experiment, resulting in abrasive wear of the specimen. While transgranular fracture of grains and the pinning led to larger grains with less debris, the damage mode remained transgranular fracture.     

Garnet-like Li7-xLa3Zr2-xNbxO12 (x = 0−0.7) solid state electrolytes enhanced by self-consolidation strategy

Garnet-like Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ electrolytes with Nb doping are synthesized by self-consolidation method. Different from conventional methods such as cold or hot isostatic pressing, not any pressing assistance is employed throughout the preparation process. Although the preparation process is dramatically simplified, both density and ionic conductivity of the obtained samples are enhanced. Nb-doped content plays a key role in the sintering of the packed precursor powders and in the structure stabilization of the obtained bulk samples. The optimized 0.60?mol Nb-doped sample with relative density of 94%, fine particle boundaries, and solitary cubic structure possesses the maximum total ionic conductivity of 5.22?×?10^?4?S?cm^?1 at 30?°C, which is comparable to the highest reported value of the samples prepared by conventional pressing methods. This work verifies that self-consolidation strategy is effective, reliable, and productive for the preparation of cubic Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ electrolyte, which would significantly facilitate the development of ceramic electrolyte membrane technology.     

Phase stability and thermo-physical properties of ZrO2-CeO2-TiO2 ceramics for thermal barrier coatings

The properties of ZrO₂ co-stabilized by CeO₂ and TiO₂ ceramic bulks were investigated for potential thermal barrier coating (TBC) applications. Results showed that the (Ce_0.15Ti_x)Zr_0.85-xO7 (x?=?0.05, 0.10, 0.15) compositions with single tetragonal phase were more stable than the traditional 8YSZ at 1573?K. These compositions also showed a large thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) and a high fracture toughness, which were comparable to those of YSZ. However, the phase stability, fracture toughness and sintering resistance of the CeO₂-TiO₂-ZrO₂ system showed a decline tendency with the increase of TiO₂ content. The TEC of the ceramic bulks decreased with increase of TiO₂ content as well because the crystal energy was enhanced with increasing substitution of Zr⁴⁺ by smaller Ti⁴⁺. The (Ce_0.15Ti_0.05)Zr_0.8O₂ had the best comprehensive properties among the (Ce_0.15Ti_x)Zr_0.85-xO₂ compositions as well as a low thermal conductivity. Therefore, it can be explored as a TBC candidate material for high-temperature applications.     

Isothermal crystallization kinetics and subsequent melting behavior of β‐nucleated isotactic polypropylene/graphene oxide composites with different ordered structure

The effects of ordered structure on isothermal crystallization kinetics and subsequent melting behavior of β‐nucleated isotactic polypropylene/graphene oxide (iPP/GO) composites were studied using differential scanning calorimetry. The ordered structure status was controlled by tuning the fusion temperature (T_f). The results showed that depending on the variation of crystallization rate, the whole T_f range could be divided into three regions: Region I (T_f > 179 °C), Region II (170 °C ≤ T_f ≤ 179 °C) and Region III (T_f < 170 °C). As T_f decreased from Region I to Region III, the crystallization rate would increase substantially at two transition points, due to the variation of the ordered structure status. Calculation of Avrami exponent n indicated that the ordered structure induced the formation of two‐dimensional growing crystallites rather than three‐dimensional growing crystallites. Moreover, in the case of isothermal crystallization, the ordered structure effect (OSE) can also greatly increase the relative content of β‐phase (β_c). In Region II, OSE took place, resulting in evident increase of β_c, achieving 92.4% at maximum. The variation of the isothermal crystallization temperature (T_iso) had little influence on the T_f range (Region II) of the OSE. The higher T_f in Region II was more favorable for the formation of higher β_c. The ordered structure was favorable for the improvement of the nucleating efficiency of β‐nucleating agent (β‐NE), and was more effective for the improvement of lower β‐NE. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry