Electric conductivity and oxygen permeability of modified cerium oxides

Electrical conductivities of samarium (Sm), terbium (Tb), praseodymium (Pr) and zirconium (Zr) doped ceria membranes were measured in T = 600–900°C and pO2 = 10−22–0.21 atm. Doping Sm and Pr in CeO2 respectively enhances the ionic conductivity and electron-hole conductivity of ceria. Sm-Pr doped ceria exhibits both n-type (at lower pO2) and p-type (at high pO2) electronic and ionic conductivity in the temperature range studied. Adding Tb in the Sm doped ceria causes a reduction in ionic conductivity. Zr-Pr doped ceria is an n-type electronic conductor at low \(P_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }\) and p-type electronic conductor at high pO2. The ionic conductivity of Zr-Pr doped ceria is lower than Sm doped ceria but higher than pure ceria. Oxygen permeation flux through the Zr-Pr doped ceria membrane, dominated by the slow oxygen ionic conduction, is similar to the ytttria doped bismuth oxide membrane, and smaller, but close to that of perovskite-type lanthanum cobaltite membrane.