Water vapor absorption and proton conductivity of (Ba1–xLax)2In2O5+x

The proton conductivity of (Ba1–xLax)2- In2O5+x system has been investigated as a function of the La content, temperature and amount of absorbed water. The proton conductivity increased with La content up to x = 0.10, to reach a maximum of 1.12 · 10–5 (S/cm) at 400 C. From that point on, it decreased. From the results of thermogravimetry and mass spectra, we confirmed that the water was absorbed in the (Ba1–xLax)2In2O5+x system, in a maximum quantity of 0.14 mol/mol (sample). The proton conductivity increased monotonically with the quantity of water uptake, suggesting that this variable is one of the dominant parameter of proton conductivity in this system.