Anisotropic Electronic Conductivity and Battery Performance in C-axis Oriented Lanthanum Silicate Oxyapatite Prepared by Slip Casting in a Strong Magnetic Field

Abstract

Lanthanum silicate oxyapatite (LSO) has superior features for application of solid electrolyte in solid oxide fuel cells. Because LSO has a higher oxygen-ion conductivity compared with yttria stabilized zirconia at temperatures below 600°C. Textured LSO bulk ceramics were fabricated by using a magnetic field-assisted colloidal processing technique. The c-axis of LSO was aligned parallel to the applied magnetic field. The anisotropic electric conductivity of the textured bulk ceramics was evaluated by the complex impedance method. It was demonstrated that the conductivity was very high along the c-axis. Battery performance was higher in the textured LSO compared with the random LSO.