Electrical properties of neutron-irradiated oxygen potential sensors using stabilized zirconia solid electrolyte

Abstract

Oxygen sensors based on zirconia solid electrolyte stabilized by MgO, CaO or Y 2O 3 were irradiated with neutrons in the Japan Materials Testing Reactor (JMTR) of the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI), and the characteristics of electromotive force of these sensors under and after irradiation were measured. The electromotive force of YSZ sample decreased with increasing irradiation fluence up to 1 × 10 23 m −2 ( E > 1 MeV). The electromotive force of the MSZ sensor irradiated for fluences up to 9 × 10 21 m −2 ( E > 1 MeV) was almost equal to the reference value of the electromotive force. It was shown that after irradiation, the decrease in the electromotive force of the CSZ sensor was smaller than those of MSZ and YSZ sensors, although the electromotive forces of MSZ, CSZ and YSZ sensors were smaller than the reference value.