Oxygen Vacancies and Electrical Conduction in Metal Oxides

Abstract

Oxygen vacancies and their effects on electrical conduction in some metal oxides were considered through an exact solution of the equilibrium relations between oxygen partial pressure in the ambient gas and concentrations of oxygen vacancies and conduction electrons in the oxide. The mass-action law was assumed but no state of ionization of oxygen vacancies was neglected. Concentrations of electrons in conduction states and total oxygen vacancies were considered. The results, which possess considerable complexity not contained in the usual limiting-case solutions, were compared with pertinent experiments.