Stabilization of the high-temperature phase and total conductivity of yttrium-doped lanthanum germanate oxyapatite

Abstract

The high-temperature phase of lanthanum germanate is useful due to its high oxide ion conductivity. While the transition from the high- to low-temperature phase could be suppressed by yttrium substitution in lanthanum sites, full stabilization of the high-temperature phase was difficult to achieve by yttrium substitution under conditions of different lanthanum-deficient compositions, as some X-ray diffraction (XRD) peaks were broadened after annealing at 873 K. With lattice constant analysis using the XRD peaks, the degree of lattice asymmetry for the low-temperature phase with triclinic lattice was found to decrease with increases in the deficiency of the lanthanum site and yttrium concentration. Formation of the low-temperature phase was difficult to detect even from Raman shift spectra. On the other hand, Raman shift spectra showed high sensitivity to detection of the La₂GeO₅ impurity phase. The influence of the total conductivity on the phase transition showed different trends with increases in the lanthanum deficiency and yttrium concentration. With tuning of the composition, the highest conductivity was observed in La_8.51Y_0.96(GeO₄)₆O_2.205. This conductivity (6.12 × 10⁻¹ S/m⁻¹ at 873 K) is higher than that of yttria-stabilized zirconia at the same temperature.