Electrical conductivity of BaCeO3 synthesized by new sol-gel method

Abstract

Polycrystalline BaCeO₃ was prepared using new sol-gel processing at low temperature. The sample was characterized by X- ray diffraction and transmission electronic microscopy. The refined lattice parameters were found to be equal to: a = 8.782 Å, b = 6.240 Å, c = 6.217 Å. Electrical conduction was studied in the temperature range 150 to 950°C. The apparent conductivity of compacted samples was found to increase with temperature in a non linear way, from σ =2.49 10^-7 S.m^-1 at T =150°C to σ = 1.55 10^-3S.m^-1 at T =950°C. The activation energy is not constant and was found to increase from about 0.21 eV (in the temperature range: 150°C - 450°C) to 0.94 eV (in the temperature range 450°C - 950°C).