La2Zr2O7 (LZO) films were grown on different buffer architectures by radio frequency magnetron sputtering for the large-scale application of YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO)-coated conductors. The three different buffer architectures were cerium oxide (CeO2), yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)/CeO2, and CeO2/YSZ/CeO2. The microstructure and surface morphology of the LZO film were studied by X-ray diffraction, ...

Composites of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) with Sr-doped LaCrO3 (LSC) and Sr-doped LaMnO3 (LSM) were prepared by impregnation of a porous YSZ matrix with aqueous solutions of the appropriate metal salts, followed by sintering to various temperatures. XRD measurements showed that perovskite phases formed after sintering at 1073 K, a temperature well below that at which solid-state reactions ...

Materials for applications in hostile environments, such as nuclear reactors or radioactive waste immobilization, require extremely high resistance to radiation damage, such as resistance to amorphization or volume swelling. Nanocrystalline materials have been reported to present exceptionally high radiation-tolerance to amorphization. In principle, grain boundaries that are prevalent in nanoma...

One of the most promising anode materials for solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) application is the Sr-doped LaMnO3 (LSM) which is known to have a high electronic conductivity but low ionic conductivity. To increase the ionic conductivity or diffusion of ions through the anode, Yttria-stabilized Zirconia (YSZ), which has good ionic conductivity, is proposed to be combined with LSM to create a...

The aim of this project was to begin the development of a new three-dimensional materials fabrication capability, Additive Layer Manufacturing (ALM).[1, 2] This initial 6 months of support allowed us to assess the feasibility of printing high-quality ceramic layers. In particular, a process was developed for printing layers of Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ). This required the development of s...

A novel procedure to make self-supporting thin yttria-stabilised zirconia (YSZ) membranes by laser machining is shown. We have used a galvanometric controlled laser beam to machine the surface of a conventional sintered YSZ plate and achieved thin areas up to 10 lm thick, but also maintaining thicker support beams to ensure the structural strength of the membrane. The outer areas of the plate a...

Tribological coatings of yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ), gold, diamond like carbon (DLC) and MoS2 were synthesized using magnetron assisted pulsed laser deposition (MSPLD). The coatings were synthesized in four-component and three-component combinations that included YSZ/Au/DLC/MoS2, YSZ/Au/MoS2, and YSZ/Au/DLC. A range of coating compositions was studied to explore coating optimization for l...

Atomic force microscopy and electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis was used to characterize changes in teh structure and composition of La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 (LSM) nanoparticles supported on single crystal YSZ (100) (yttria-stabilized zirconia) and SrTiO3(100) surfaces as a function of temperature and exposure to oxidizing and reducing environments. On YSZ(100), LSM particles were f...

Composite electrodes of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) with La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 (LSM), La0.8Sr0.2FeO3 (LSF), and La0.8Sr0.2CoO3 (LSCo) were prepared and tested as solid oxide electrolyzer (SOE) anodes and solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cathodes at 973 K, using cells with a YSZ electrolyte and a Co-ceria-YSZ counter electrode. The LSM-YSZ electrode was activated by cathodic polarization but the enhan...