In this work, we review several experimental results showing the electrical properties of barium cerate-zirconate thin films and discuss them in view of the possible influence of various factors on their properties. Most of the presented Ba (Ce, Zr, Y) O3 thin films were formed by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique, however thin films prepared using other methods, like RF magnetron sputtering, electron-beam deposition, powder aerosol deposition (PAD), atomic layer deposition (ALD) and spray deposition are also reported. The electrical properties of the thin films strongly depend on the film microstructure. The influence of the interface layers, space-charge layers, and strain-modified layers on the total conductivity is also essential but in many cases is weaker.

This article focuses on the properties of the BaCeO3 thin films formed by electron-beam vapor deposition and investigates the formation of barium cerates on supports with different thermal expansion coefficients (Stainless Steel, Invar, Glass Sealing, and Inconel substrates) and the influence of the technological parameters on the properties of the formed thin films with an emphasis on the stability of the films. Morphology and phase composition and mechanical and electrical properties were investigated. It was found that the main factors influencing the phase composition and morphology of the films are the temperature of the support and the deposition rate. However, the mechanical properties of the films are mostly influenced by strains introduced to thin films by using different supports. Two interesting features of the electrical properties of the studied strained films were noticed: the film with the highest in-plane tensile strain showed the lowest activation energy of total conductivity, whereas the film with the lowest strain showed the highest value of total conductivity.

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As electrolyte materials for proton conductive fuel cells, perovskite-type materials such as barium cerates and barium zirconates have received a lot of attention due to their high protonic conduction at intermediate temperatures. Yet, the crystalline structure and the microstructure of the electrolyte layers are of the utmost importance that define the resulting protonic conductivity. The aim of this research was to investigate the formation of doped/undoped BCO and BZO thin films using e-beam vapor deposition and to analyze the influence of the formation parameters on the microstructural and crystallographic properties. Crystalline structure and microstructure were investigated by X-ray diffractometer and scanning electron microscope, while the elemental composition of the resulting thin films was analyzed by an energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscope. It was found that the formed thin films were highly dense and consisted of the oriented columnar grains. The crystallinity of the thin films was strongly expressed with the predominant crystallographic orientations for undoped/doped barium cerates. Yttrium dopant had an influence on the lattice parameters and crystallite sizes. With the chosen technological parameters allowed to both, barium cerates and barium zirconates did not form carbonates and did not experience the degradation process.