Impurity segregation study at the surface of yttria-zircOnia electrolytes by XPS
Abstract The segregation of yttrium as a function of the heat treatment has been studied on the external surface of polycrystalline yttria-zirconia electrolytes with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Yttrium segregates at the external surface along with a number of impurities dominated by silicon. Generally, silicon segregates in a small region near the surface, whereas the enrichment region for yttrium is considerably deeper. Grain boundary migration appears to be the predominant mechanism for impurity segregation at the external surface.