ELECTRICAL-PROPERTIES OF NEUTRON-IRRADIATED OXYGEN POTENTIAL SENSORS USING STABILIZED ZIRCONIA SOLID-ELECTROLYTE

Oxygen sensors based on zirconia solid electrolyte stabilized by MgO, CaO or Y2O3 were irradiated with neutrons in the Japan Materials Testi ng Reactor (JMTR) of the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI ), and the characteristics of electromotive force of these sensors und er and after irradiation were measured. The electromotive force of YSZ sample decreased with increasing irradiation fluence up to 1 x 10(23) m(-2) (E > 1 MeV). The electromotive force of the MSZ sensor irradiat ed for fluences up to 9 x 10(21) m(-2) (E > 1 MeV) was almost equal to the reference value of the electromotive force. It was shown that aft er irradiation, the decrease in the electromotive force of the CSZ sen sor was smaller than those of MSZ and YSZ sensors, although the electr omotive forces of MSZ, CSZ and YSZ sensors were smaller than the refer ence value. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.