Enhancement of the Ionic Conductivity in Electric Field-Assisted Pressureless Sintered BITIVOX Solid Electrolytes

Bi4V1.8Ti0.2O11 (BITIVOX) ceramic pellets, prepared with powders obtained by a sol gel technique, were sintered either conventionally at 800 °C/8 h or by applying an AC electric voltage, limiting the electric current through the pellets. Electric voltages were applied isothermally at 700 °C and 800 °C during 5 min in the green pellet positioned in the sample holder of a dilatometer for monitoring thickness variation. The BITIVOX pellets shrank 13.6% after applying 200 V cm−1 at 800 °C and 10.4% heating to 800 °C for 8 h. Thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction of the powders were performed to evaluate the crystallization temperature and the structural phase, respectively. The electrical behavior of the sintered BITIVOX pellets was analyzed by the impedance spectroscopy technique, showing that the sample flash sintered at 800 °C/5 min had lower bulk resistivity than the sample conventionally sintered at 800 °C/8 h. The surfaces of the sintered pellets were observed in a scanning electron microscope showing similar grain sizes and pore content in all sintered samples.