Abstract

The DC electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient of sintered BSCF ceramics (Ba_0.5Sr_0.5Co_xFe_1 − xO_3 − δ, 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.8) were simultaneously measured from 200 to 900 °C in air. Oxygen stoichiometry (3 − δ) was determined from iodometry at room temperature and thermogravimetry analysis to 900 °C. The electrical conductivity was thermally activated at low temperatures, exhibiting a maximum of 32 ± 4 S/cm at  350 °C and then decreasing with increasing temperature above 400 °C. The Seebeck coefficient ranged from a minimum of 37 ± 10 μV/K for all compositions at  300 °C to 150 μV/K for x = 0 and 67 μV/K for x = 0.8 at 900 °C. Oxygen stoichiometry ranged from 2.65 for x = 0 and 2.54 for x = 0.8 at 100 °C to 2.55 for x = 0 and 2.36 for x = 0.8 at 900 °C. A simple p-type polaron hopping model, assuming negligible contribution from n-type or ionic carriers, was used to extract the carrier concentration and mobilities from the measured data. The calculated mobilities were < 0.1 cm²/V-s, supporting the p-type polaron hopping model. For a given composition, the activation energy for conduction below  350 °C was identical to that of the carrier mobility, ranging from 0.2 eV for x = 0 to 0.6 eV for x = 0.8. Above 350 °C, the activation energy for carrier mobility decreased dramatically, ranging from 0.05 eV for x = 0.2 to 0.1 eV for x = 0.8. Unlike the carrier mobilities of the x ≥ 0.2 samples, the carrier mobility for the x = 0 sample did not appear to be thermally activated above 350 °C.