Screen-printed Eu-doped ceria films and their gas sensing characterization for the selective detection of carbon monoxide

• Grant number: 21/10780-0
• Support type: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): November 25, 2021
• Effective date (End): February 18, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal researcher: Alexandre Zirpoli Simões
• Grantee: Pedro Paulo da Silva Ortega
• Supervisor abroad: Cesare Malagu'
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia (FEG). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Guaratinguetá. Guaratinguetá , SP, Brazil
• Research place: Università degli Studi di Ferrara, Italy
• Associated to the scholarship: 18/26550-0 - Study of the conduction mechanisms and interface defects in non-stoichiometric semiconductors with different morphologies, BP.DR

Abstract

Herein, we intend to study the influence of the morphology of as-prepared pure and Eu-doped ceria nanostructures on their carbon monoxide sensing properties. We will use the nanostructures to prepare screen-printed thick films in which the electrical characterizations will be performed. The influence of the different atmospheres on the defect structure of undoped and Eu-doped CeO2 will be investigated. To this aim, the samples will be characterized under different atmospheres: inert (N2), oxidative (O2), and reductive (CO). Complex Impedance Spectroscopy (CIS) and electrical measurements will be used to obtain information about the sensitivity, selectivity, and working temperature of the thick films as well as the defect structure. The experimental results will be discussed in terms of the morphology and the role of the dopant element in the structure, shedding light on the basic conduction mechanisms responsible for gas detection. This project will enhance our understanding of the film preparation and mechanisms involved in the carbon monoxide detection and might result in a number of publications regarding the role of surface morphology and Eu-doping on the gas sensing properties of ceria-based materials.