ABSTRACT
The desired properties of solid-oxide ionic conductors depend upon the concentration and local environment of mobile ionic species. These species are lattice-oxygen vacancies and vacancy associates. The identity and concentration of these species are implied from the influence of oxygen stoichiometry, dopant concentration, and structure on electrolytic properties. We have recently reported a dependence of the optical properties (absorption and luminescence) on the oxygen stoichiometry and dopant in yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) and erbia-stabilized bismuth oxide (ESB) [1–3]. Absorbance, excitation and emission spectra were ascribed to electronic transitions of F-center type defects (electron-occupied oxygen-vacancies). We proposed a tentative band diagram and defect energy levels for YSZ based upon these results. The spectroscopic characteristics of these materials can provide a better understanding of the behavior of dopants and anion vacancies on the material, and the influence of these species on conductivity and electrocatalysis. In the present paper we present additional luminescence spectra of stabilized zirconia as a function of dopant and dopant concentration.
