Mechanical properties of Ba_1-xK_xCe_0.6Zr_0.2Y_0.2O_3-δ oxides by nanoindentation

The microstructural and nanomechanical characteristics Ba_1-xK_xCe_0.6Zr_0.2Y_0.2O_3-δ (K-doped BCZY, 0.0≤x≤0.15) oxides affected by the various K doping concentrations are investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and nanoindentation techniques in this study. All BKCZY samples are produced by a combination of the citrateethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) complexing sol-gel process and the composition-exchange method, formed by uniaxial pressure and sintered at 1600 °C for 4 h. XRD results indicated that the BKCZY samples are pre-dominantly the perovskite-type cubic structure. The hardness and Young's modulus of BKCZY samples are measured by a Berkovich nanoindenter operated with the continuous contact stiffness measurements (CSM) mode. The results indicated that the hardness and Young's modulus of BKCZY sample decreased with increasing the K doping concentrations.