Development of Proton Conducting Thin Films from Nanoparticulate Precursors

Abstract

Three different routes allowing preparation of nanoparticulate yttrium-doped barium cerate have been developed: flash combustion, hydrolysis of complexed metal acrylates, and the use of inverse micelles. These methods allow preparation of doped perovskites of particle size in the range 5 - 50 nm. Water uptake characteristics have been determined after high temperature sintering, and proton conduction properties characterized between 400 and 600 {degree sign}C. The availability of sufficiently small particles opens up the possibility of using deposition techniques from colloidal suspensions of powders: In this work, nonporous BaCe0.9Y0.1O2.95 thin films have been synthesised on porous NiO/BCY10 substrates by spin coating. Scanning electron microscopy show that these films are dense, homogenous and with a thickness of 40 µm.