Influence of microwave-assisted calcination on structural properties and oxide-ion performance of layered-perovskite γ-BIMNVOX solid electrolyte synthesized by ethylene glycol–citrate sol–gel route

Samples of stabilized γ-BIMNVOX.x (Bi2V1−xMnxO5.5−x/2) oxide-ion conductor with a layered-perovskite type of structure were successfully synthesized under mild conditions by the microwave-assisted calcination of ethylene glycol–citrate xerogels using a modified domestic microwave oven. As-prepared samples were characterized in terms of phase stabilization and crystallization, crystal structure, crystallite size and electrical performance using thermal (DTA–TG) analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique, scanning emission electron microscopy (SEM) and AC impedance spectroscopy. Generally, the γ-BIMNVOX.x samples synthesized by the microwave-assisted calcination displayed shorter calcination time, smaller crystallite sizes and higher oxide-ion performance at lower temperatures than the samples prepared by the conventional heating process. However, these interesting features confer to the stabilized γ-BIMNVOX.x phases prepared by such novel technique a potential application in many electrochemical solid oxide devices.