Preparation and Electrical Properties of LaFeO3 Compacts Using Chemically Synthesized Powders

Pure, single-phase, crystalline LaFeO 3 powders are formed by the thermal decomposition of a metal–nitrate–tartrate gel complex at 500–700 °C. The complex is prepared by dissolving nitrates of lanthanum and iron in an aqueous solution in the presence of nitric and tartaric acids. The powder can be densified at 1050 °C, and the resulting compacts exhibit ionic conduction above 300 °C with an apparent activation energy of electrical conduction of 20–30 kJ/mol.