Structural and morphological properties with thermal stability of BaZr_0.2Ce_0.8−xCu_xO_3−δ perovskite as a novel compound for solar cell and SOFC application

This research investigates the structural, morphological and thermal stability of advanced proton conducting material BaZr_0.2Ce_0.8−xCu_xO_3−δ for highly efficient storage and power generation devices. BaZr_0.2Ce_0.8−xCu_xO_3−δ with x = 0.15, 0.20, and 0.25 named as BZCC1, BZCC2, and BZCC3 respectively are synthesized with conventional solid state reaction method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) has been performed to examine the phase purity and lattice parameters of the components. The surface morphology and grain development of the samples have been studied with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) has been performed to determine the chemical and mechanical stabilities. According to Rietveld analysis XRD data, all the samples possess single phase cubic crystal symmetry with Pm-3m space group. Rietveld based structural analysis of the diffraction spectroscopy exhibits contraction of cell parameter as the Cu concentration is increased gradually. A similar trend of reduction in grain size is observed in the SEM images. The TGA performed under nitrogen environment from 20 °C to 800 °C, which reveals incorporation of Cu significantly stabilizes the chemical interiority of the material. Overall, our study attempts to explore feasibility of Cu incorporation in Ba-Zr-Ce oxide based perovskites.