As a material for application in the life sciences, a new composite material, geopolymer/CeO2 (GP_CeO2), was synthesized as a potential low-cost solid electrolyte for application in solid oxide fuel cells operating in intermediate temperature (IT-SOFC). The new materials were obtained from alkali-activated metakaolin (calcined clay) in the presence of CeO2 powders (x = 10%). Besides the commercial CeO2 powder, as a source of ceria, two differently synthesized CeO2 powders also were used: CeO2 synthesized by modified glycine nitrate procedure (MGNP) and self-propagating reaction at room temperature (SPRT). The structural, morphological, and electrical properties of pure and GP_CeO2-type samples were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), BET, differential thermal and thermogravimetric analysis (DTA/TGA), scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), and method complex impedance (EIS). XRPD and matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) analysis confirmed the formation of solid phase CeO2. The BET, DTA/TGA, FE-SEM, and EDS results indicated that particles of CeO2 were stabile interconnected and form a continuous conductive path, which was confirmed by the EIS method. The highest conductivity of 1.86 × 10-2 Ω-1 cm-1 was obtained for the sample GP_CeO2_MGNP at 700 °C. The corresponding value of activation energy for conductivity was 0.26 eV in the temperature range 500-700 °C.
Keywords: electrical conductivity; fuel cells.; geopolymers/ceria; polymer composites.