Abstract
The relationship between microstructure and electrical conductivity of porous (La0.8Sr0.2)0.99MnO3 (LSM) ceramics were investigated. The porous LSM ceramics were prepared by sintering the cylindrically-extruded compacts at 1573 K for 6 h. The bulk density and porosity of LSM ceramics were measured by Archimedes technique. The electrical conductivities were measured using 4-probe DC technique as functions of temperature and bulk density. The open porosity was approximately proportional to the amount of binder in the LSM/water/binder mixture. The electrical conductivity decreased with decreasing bulk density, and the amount of decrease was more than predicted by the open porosity. This was related to the tortuosity of the carrier path.
