Lowering the sintering temperature of Gd-doped ceria by mechanochemical activation

Abstract

Two kinds of Ce(0.8)Gd(0.2)O(2-delta) pellets were synthesized by a solid-state reaction using two types of commercial CeO(2) and Gd(2)O(3). In contrast to previous reports, pellets with a sintered density of 99% at 1300 degrees C were obtained regardless the powder used. Mechanochemical activation of the starting materials by 7 h of high energy milling, which resulted in particles several tens of nanometer in size, was effective in reducing the sintering temperature. Ce(0.8)Gd(0.2)O(2-delta) pellets could be synthesized by direct sintering without calcination due to the homogeneous distribution of fine starting materials. The final phase was confirmed by the ionic conductivity, X-ray diffraction patterns and lattice parameters. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.