Microwave-induced combustion synthesis and electrical properties of Ce 1− xSm xO 2−1/2 x ceramics

Abstract

Ce 1− x Sm x O 2−1/2 x nanopowders were successfully synthesized by microwave-induced combustion process. For the preparation, cerium(III) nitrate hexahydrate, samarium(III) nitrate hexahydrate, and urea were used for the microwave-induced combustion process. The process took only a few minutes to obtain Ce 1− x Sm x O 2−1/2 x powders. Ce 1− x Sm x O 2−1/2 x ceramics prepared by microwave-induced process sintered at 1400 °C for 3 h, the bulk density of Ce 1− x Sm x O 2−1/2 x ceramics were over 95% of the theoretical density. The results revealed that Ce 0.84Sm 0.16O 1.92 possessed the maximum electrical conductivity was 0.0287 S cm −1 at 850 °C and the minimum activity energy, E a was 0.9565 eV determined from 500 to 850 °C.