Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Synthesis of Non-uniformly Pr-doped SrTiO3 Ceramics and Their Thermoelectric Properties
Published on: August 15, 2015
Electrical conductivity and defect equilibria of Pr0.1Ce0.9O(2-δ)
Sean R Bishop1, Todd S Stefanik, Harry L Tuller
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. srbishop@mit.edu
Abstract:
Praseodymium-cerium oxide (PCO) solid solutions exhibit mixed ionic electronic conductivity (MIEC) behavior in a relatively high and readily accessible oxygen partial pressure (P(O(2))) regime and as such serve as a model system for investigating the correlation between thermodynamic and kinetic properties and performance figures of merit in the areas of high temperature energy conversion, automotive control, and gas sensing applications. In this paper, we present measurements on the non-stoichiometry of Pr(0.1)Ce(0.9)O(2-δ) and develop a defect equilibria model to predict the dependence of the concentration of all the dominant charge carriers on temperature, P(O(2)), and Pr fraction. The predictive model is then employed to describe the measured electrical conductivity and oxygen nonstoichiometry whereby pre-exponentials and enthalpies of defect formation and migration are extracted.
Related Concept Videos
Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Stoichiometric Point Defects
Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Non-Stoichiometric Defects
Electrical Transport
Debye–Huckel–Onsager Conductance Equation
Electrical Conductivity
In a practical conductor, an applied electric field may be sustained, causing a flow of electrons, which produce a current. The differential form of the current, the current density, is related to the electric field.
More generally, it is related to the force per unit charge, which involves the...
Semiconductors
Metals such as copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), or lead (Pb) have low resistivity and feature conduction bands that are either not fully occupied or overlap with the valence band, making a bandgap non-existent. This allows electrons in the highest energy levels of the valence band to easily transition to the conduction band upon gaining...

