Estimation of oxygen ionic conductivity in nickel-zirconia composite by oxygen permeation method

The oxygen transport in the nickel-zirconia composite was investigated using the oxygen permeation method. A disk-shaped sample made of nickel (40 vol%) and yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) was used to construct a permeation cell. By exposing one side of the sample to a CO2 gas stream and the other side to a CO stream at elevated temperatures, oxide ions were extracted from CO2 and transported to the other side to oxidize CO. The oxygen permeation flux through the composite was determined by analyzing the effluent from the permeation cell, and the oxygen ionic conductivity of the composite was derived from the permeation data and the oxygen partial pressures. It was shown that the oxygen ionic conductivity of the composite YSZ fraction was about one third of that for the single-phase zirconia ceramic, and the activation energy associated with the transport of oxide ions in the composite is somewhat greater than that of the single-phase zirconia.