Effect of calcination temperature on the conductivity of Sm and Cu co-doped ceria

Abstract

The impact of different calcination temperature (550, 650, 750 and 850 °C) on the structural/electrical properties of sintered Cu/Sm co-doped CeO 2 prepared by sol-gel combustion were studied. Structural properties were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-VIS). The composition, oxidation state and electrical conductivity of sintered samples were investigated by photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), respectively. With the increasing calcination temperature, both the oxygen vacancy and Ce 3+ increase. Therefore, the highest conductivity was obtained for samples calcined at 850 °C.