Synthesis and characterization of Bi-doped zirconia for solid electrolyte

Abstract

(100-x)ZrO<inf>2</inf>(x)Bi<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf> (x = 5, 10, 15) system has been synthesized by solid-state reaction technique. Tetragonal Bi<inf>7.38</inf>Zr<inf>0.62</inf>O<inf>12.31</inf> phase has formed in all the samples after sintering at 850 °C for 24 h. Apart from this, ZrO<inf>2</inf> and Bi<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf> are also identified as minority phases. The volume fraction of Bi<inf>7.38</inf>Zr<inf>0.62</inf>O<inf>12.31</inf> phase increases with increasing concentration of Bi<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf>. The AC conductivity plots exhibit phase transition at 570 °C and 460 °C for x = 10 and x = 15 samples, respectively. The maximum conductivity is observed (1.60 mS/cm) in x = 15 sample. These results are correlated and supported with microstructural and thermal analysis. © 2010 Springer-Verlag. © 2010 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.