Leaching effect in gadolinia-doped ceria aqueous suspensions for ceramic processes

adolinium doped ceria (CGO) is a commonly used electrolytic material for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) and for this reason different shaping methods for its deposition are reported in literature. Most of these processes are based on the use of organic-based CGO suspensions, but water-based processes are acquiring increasingly interest for their economical and environmental friendly properties. In this paper we reported how the components of water-based suspension and some unexpected process parameters can deeply affect the functional properties of the final powder. In particular, we observed that CGO powders are strongly affected by ionic leaching induced by furoic acid used as dispersant: the extent of this leaching was related to the dispersant concentration and suspension's ball-milling-time; the phe- nomenon was confirmed by ICP-AES analyses on suspensions surnatant. Most importantly, ionic leaching affected the electrical properties of CGO: leached powder showed a higher ionic conductivity as a consequence of a partial removal of Gd ions at the grain boundaries. This work is therefore pointing out that when considering water-based suspensions, it is extremely important to carefully consider all the process parameters, including the organic components of the ceramic suspension, as these could lead to unexpected effects on the properties of the powder, affecting the performance of the final shaped material.