Out-of-Plane Ionic Conductivity Measurement Configuration for High-Throughput Experiments

An approach for measuring conductivity of thin-film electrolytes in an out-of-plane configuration, amenable to high-throughput experimentation, is presented. A comprehensive analysis of the geometric requirements for success is performed. Using samaria-doped ceria (Ce_(0.8)Sm_(0.2)O_(1.9), SDC) excellent agreement between bulk samples and thin films with continuous and patterned electrodes, 100–500 μm in diameter, is demonstrated. Films were deposited on conductive Nb-doped SrTiO_3, and conductivity was measured by AC impedance spectroscopy over the temperature range from ∼200 to ∼500 °C. The patterned electrode geometry, which encompassed an array of microdot metal electrodes for making top contact, enabled measurements at hundreds of positions on the film, implying the potential for measuring hundreds of composition in a single library.