Nanostructured La(Sr)CrO3 through gel combustion: sintering and electrical behavior.

Nanostructured La(Sr)CrO3 (LSC) powders was prepared through glycine-nitrate gel combustion process. It was shown for the first time that the use of relatively inexpensive CrO3 as a starting material for chromium has a potential for the bulk preparation of sinter-active LSC powder. As-prepared powder when calcined at 700 degrees C resulted in LSC along with a small amount of SrCrO4 as a secondary phase. The powder was found to be composed of soft agglomerates with a particle size of approximately 70-270 nm. The average agglomerate size was found to be 0.95 microm. The cold pressing and sintering of the LSC powder at 1450 degrees C resulted in mono-phasic La0.8Sr0.2CrO3 with 94% of its theoretical density. This is the lowest sintering temperature ever reported for La0.8Sr0.2CrO3. The conductivity of the sintered La0.8Sr0.2CrO3 at 1000 degrees C was found to be approximately 18 S cm(-1).