This paper reports the influence of various sintering temperatures (1000°C, 1300°C, 1400°C and 1500°C) on the structures, morphology and electrical properties of monolayer YSZ thin film electrolyte deposited on sapphire substrate (Al2O3) via sol-gel dip coating method. The temperature variation was discerned to affect significantly the films lattice strain and crystallite size, thereby the electrolytic performance. The YSZ film sintered at 1300°C displayed a high ionic conductivity and the FESEM images of the electrolytes revealed dense microstructures with the smallest grain size of 41.13 ± 1.78 nm. It was asserted that by tuning the sintering temperature it is possible to customize the microstructures and electrical properties of the YSZ electrolyte thin film desired for solid oxide fuel cell operation at moderate temperature.
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