The effect of the nature of the gas phase on the surface properties of liquid tin in contact with the (100) face of solid electrolyte ZrO2Y2O3

Abstract

Abstract Using the method of measuring the electrolytic conductivity G between the electrode being investigated and the auxiliary electrode as a function of the potential φ, a study has been made of the surface properties of liquid tin in contact with solid electrolyte 0.90 ZrO20.10 Y2O3 in an atmosphere of COCO2 as well as in helium. The G-φ curves obtained exibit two free surface energy (FSE) maxima in the gas mixture COCO2 at 900°C and only one FSE maximum in the helium atmosphere. In the COCO2 atmosphere the transition from the (100) face of the solid electrolyte 0.90 ZrO20.10 Y2O3 single crystal to the sintered material displaces the potential of the first maximum by 0.07 V towards the negative region, that of the second maximum by 0.06 V. It has been found that the change of the gas phase COCO2 for the gas phase H2H2O (hydrogen with an insignificant admixture of water) affects very largely the magnitude of the potentials that correspond to the FSE maximum. The latter circumstance is a demonstration that the adsorption phenomena play a significant part.