Conductivity of Gadolinium (III) Oxide (Gd2O3) in Hydrogen-containing Atmospheres

Abstract

In this study, Gd2O3 was used to investigate the conductivity in H2O and D2O mixed with argon (Ar) atmospheres, and also in pure Ar and oxygen atmospheres ranging from 773 K to 1373 K to understand its possible application in the fusion reactor’s tritium permeation barrier and purification system. The investigation shows that the conductivity of Gd2O3 is higher in both hydrogen-containing Ar atmospheres (Ar+ H2O and Ar+D2O) than that in pure Ar. The obtained proton conductivity of Gd2O3 was about two orders lower in magnitude than that of a typical proton conductor CaZr0.9In0.1O3 [1]. Therefore, Gd2O3 could be a potential material, but much improvement is required for the tritium recovery and purification system of nuclear fusion reactors.