Preparation of Sm_0.2Ce_0.8O_1.9electrolytes via the chitosan templating method and investigation of the sintering behavior

Sm0.2Ce0.8O1.9 electrolytes were prepared using a novel chitosan templating method. To examine the sintering kinetics of the materials, 5 minutes, 1 hour, and 6 hours of sintering processes were carried out at 1200, 1300, and 1400 ⁰C. The phase structure of the sintered samples was clarified by XRD analysis. The morphological structure was examined by SEM and the average grain sizes were calculated with the Linear Intercept Method. The dominant diffusion mechanism and grain growth activation energies during sintering were calculated for the SDC20 electrolytes synthesized by the chitosan templating method for the first time. In addition to the sintering study, the ionic conductivities of the samples were determined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The maximum O2- conductivity value for the 1300–6 sample was found to be 0.052 S.cm−1. The study showed that the chitosan templating method is an effective way of synthesizing SDC20 materials.