The effect of the addition of copper-doped bismuth vanadium oxide to yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) on the sinterability and electrical conductivity, especially in reducing atmospheres, has been investigated. When Bi 2 Cu 0.1 V 0.9 O 5.35 was used as a sintering aid, the sintering temperature could be reduced to 800°C, whereas the conventional sintering process requires temperatures above 1300°C. Although the conductivity of YSZ with 1.5 mol % Bi 2 Cu 0.1 V 0.9 O 5.35 was slightly lower than that of pure YSZ sintered at 1300°C, no P O2 dependence was observed under reducing conditions (e.g., P O2 = 10
¹5
10¹24 atm), which indicates that the electrolyte is applicable to solid-oxide fuel cells.Solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have been receiving increasing attention as environmentally friendly energy sources.1 These devices are constructed from a dense zirconia-based electrolyte with two electrodes, where yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) is the most widely used electrolyte.2 YSZ electrolytes are conventionally synthesized by a high-temperature sintering process that requires temperatures above 1300°C.3,4 Such high-temperature sintering not only prevents the use of less heat-resistant materials but also leads to an energy-inefficient production process. Considering that SOFCs usually operate at 700°C, 800°C would be an ideal sintering temperature for YSZ. The sintering temperature of YSZ is generally reduced by using sintering aids. Zinc oxide, 5 calcium oxide, 6 copper oxide, 7 and alumina 8 are known as effective sintering aids; however, their effect is limited to about 100200°C. 9 The addition of bismuth oxide improves the sinterability of YSZ 10 and decreases the sintering temperature to 900°C.11 Unfortunately, the reduction of bismuth oxide to bismuth metal in reducing atmospheres leads to the deposition of bismuth on the surface, which degrades the ionic conductivity 2,12 and causes the electrolyte to become completely dysfunctional. Abraham et al. have reported that bismuth vanadium oxide, Bi 4 V 2 O 11 , shows a high oxide ionic conductivity. 13 In particular, the conductivity of Bi 2 Cu 0.1 V 0.9 O 5.35 (BCV) is ca. 0.12 S cm ¹1 at 600°C. 14 Thus, because of its high ionic conductivity and low melting point, the use of this material as a sintering aid would be expected to lower the sintering temperature of YSZ without any metallic bismuth deposition.In this letter, we report the sinterability of a YSZBCV composite powder and its electrochemical properties; in particular, its conductivity under reducing conditions. The results obtained for this YSZBCV composite are compared with those for conventional YSZ sintered at 1300°C for 10 h. The optimization of the BCV-to-YSZ ratio and the application of BCV to other oxide-ion conducting materials, e.g., Ce 0.8 Gd 0.2 O 0.9 , BaZr 0.8 -Y 0.2 O 2.9 , and BaCe 0.8 Y 0.2 O 2.9 , are among our future goals.The YSZBCV composite samples were prepared as follows. Partially stabilized zirconia with 8 mol % yttria (Tosoh, TZ-8Y, crystallite size: 25 nm) was used as-purchase...