Humidity influence on the CO 2 response of potentiometric sensors based on NASICON pellets with new compositions, Na 3Zr 2-(x/4)Si 2-xP 1+xO 12 (x = 1.333)

Hiromichi Aono*, Yoshihiko Sadaoka, Laura Montanaro, Elisabetta Di Bartolomeo, Enrico Traversa

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

CO 2-gas sensors were fabricated using NASICON-type dense ceramics with new compositions in the Na 3Zr 2-(x/4)Si 2-xP 1+xO 12 system. The bulk ceramics were prepared from sol-gel-processed powders. Dense electrolytes were obtained for compositions with x = 0.667 and x = 1.333. An improved sinterability was observed with respect to NASICON with conventional composition, which was attributed to liquidphase sintering. The CO 2-gas sensors using these dense samples showed a stable electromotive force (emf) response in dry atmosphere that was similar to the theoretical Nernstian value for a two-electron electrochemical reaction. This was observed also for the NASICON sample with composition x = 1.333 that showed a conductivity far lower than that of the NASICON with conventional composition. The emf changed quickly with changes of the CO 2-gas concentration, and steady-state values were observed. The response time, in adsorption and desorption of CO 2, was very fast, especially at high CO 2 concentrations. The influence of humidity on the CO 2-sensing performance was investigated. A lower sensitivity and slower response were obtained in humid CO 2 gas, especially at low CO 2 concentrations. CO 2-sensing measurements at various gas-flow rates were performed to evaluate the reactions occurring at the measuring electrode. The occurrence of a side reaction on the measuring electrode was observed, i.e., the formation of sodium oxides. In dry gas, the reaction took place at low CO 2 concentrations and small flow rates, whereas the reaction was strongly enhanced in humid environments and occurred over the entire CO 2 concentration range. However, the sensor performance recovered after switching from humid gas to dry gas. This demonstrated that the humidity affects the emf because of the Na 2O x formation at the electrode, and, thus, the solid electrolyte itself was not degraded by humidity.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)585-589
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of the American Ceramic Society
Volume85
Issue number3
StatePublished - Mar 2002
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ceramics and Composites

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