Synthesis and Electrical Properties of Fe/Sm Co Doped CeO2

High productivity and environmental consciousness have made the environmentally friendly features of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) an alternative energy source that has attracted attention as a potential solution to problems such as pollution, global warming, and lack of fuel availability. In the field of SOFC, extensive research has been focused on the development of cells that exhibit good electrochemical performances and are highly durable. Samarium doped ceria (SDC) has become the material that is frequently investigated as a potential electrolyte for SOFC. Compositional modification of SDC doped with Fe as second dopant was investigated in this project. The samples were synthesized using a solid state reaction method from raw materials, which are cerium oxide, samarium oxide, and iron oxide, then sintered at temperatures of 1480 oC. Different concentrations of Fe (0-10 mol%) were doped in SDC. To assess the effects of double dopants on the crystal structure and electrical characteristics, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was employed for phase confirmation, and impedance was measured to determine electrical conductivity. All samples were sintered at 1480 oC and have a relative density more than 95%. It was discovered that, in the lower temperature range of 300-600 oC, significant improvement can be seen when Fe was doped in SDC, where 5 mol% Fe doped SDC shows the highest conductivity with a value of 1.09 S/m at 600 oC, which is more than 3 times higher than SDC, showing that Fe is a potential candidate as second dopant in SDC.