Sintering and Electrical Characterization of La and Nb Co‐doped SrTiO3 Electrode Materials for Solid Oxide Cell Applications

Single‐phase lanthanum and niobium co‐doped strontium titanate (Sr1–3x/2LaxTi0.9Nb0.1O3; x = 0–0.02) ceramics were prepared. Dilatometry in reducing atmosphere showed an increase in the sintering rate and sintered density with an increase in La amount. Microscopy of fractured surfaces of sintered samples showed that the average grain size increased drastically in reducing conditions with increasing La content (and associated A‐site vacancies). By incorporating 2 mol.% La, the electronic conductivity significantly improved from 80 to 135 S cm−1 at 1,000 °C, and even larger improvements were observed at lower temperatures. These observations demonstrate the flexibility in tailoring the microstructure and electronic transport properties by doping small amounts of La into the Nb‐doped SrTiO3 and show that Sr1–3x/2LaxTi0.9Nb0.1O3 is a potential electrode material for solid oxide cells.