Effects of zirconium oxide on the sintering of SrCe_1-xZr_xO_3-δ (0.0 蠆 x 蠆 0.5)

SrCe_1-xZr_xO_3-δ (0.0 蠆 x 蠆 0.5) proton-conducting oxides had been successfully prepared using a solid state reaction method. In this study, the relationships between the Zr contents and microstructures, shrinkages, and sintering of these SrCe_1-xZr_xO_3-δ (0.0 蠆 x 蠆 0.5) were systemically studied by using X-ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and Thermal dilatometer analysis (TDA). The XRD results showed that no second phase could be found from the 1500 °C sintered SrCe_1-xZr_xO_3-δ. The SEMs shows that the porosities of sintered SrCe_1-xZr_xO_3-δ increased with increasing the Zr contents. The largest porosity about 27.53% could be obtained at the SrCe_0.6Zr_0.4O_3-δ ceramics sintered at 1500 °C for 2 h in the SrCe_1-xZr_xO_3-δ ceramics. According to the sintering behaviour and properties characterizations, a flat HTM with porous supporting layers of SrCe_0.6Zr_0.4O_3-δ and SrZrO₃ was fabricated by constrained sintering. Therefore, the SrCe_0.6Zr_0.4O_3-δ ceramic is suggested to be a potential support layer material for HTM applications.