Effects of the microwave heating on the properties of gadolinium-doped cerium oxide prepared by polyol method

Gadolinium doped ceria (GDC) has received a lot of attention as possible electrolyte material for Intermediate-Temperature (500–800 °C) Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (IT-SOFC). Microwave heating has been recently considered in combination with precipitation for the production of oxide or non-oxide nano-powders. In this study, crystalline CeO2 powders doped with different amount of gadolinium were successfully prepared by microwave-assisted polyol method under mild conditions and in one single step. The microwave heating was found to strongly influence the morphological properties of the powder especially for low gadolinium content. IR and thermal analyses helped to identify the major reaction path for the formation of the as-observed complex morphologies. Regardless to the morphology, the powders showed good densification behavior and expected electrochemical properties; Ce0.9Gd0.1O1.95 exhibited the highest conductivity.