Thermal behavior, crystal structure and electrical conductivity of {(ZrO2)0.92(Y2O3)0.08}1-x(Cr2O3)x (x = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15) solid solution

{(ZrO 2 ) 0.92 (Y 2 O 3 ) 0.08 } 1- x (Cr 2 O 3 ) x solid solution is composed by co-precipitation method and the effects of Cr 2 O 3 content on thermal analysis, crystal structure, microstructure and electrical conductivity are researched. The results discuss the potential for application as a diffusion barrier material at temperatures between 600 and 850 °C to the limiting current oxygen sensors. TG and DSC results show that the main weight loss and heat absorption processes occur below 600 °C and the {(ZrO 2 ) 0.92 (Y 2 O 3 ) 0.08 } 1- x (Cr 2 O 3 ) x solid solution is obtained above 600 °C. XRD analysis shows that the solid solution is fluorite type cubic phase and the solubility of Cr 2 O 3 in (ZrO 2 ) 0.92 (Y 2 O 3 ) 0.08 is less than 0.10. The SEM-EDS results show that the grain size of the sintered body decreases with increasing Cr 2 O 3 content and distribution of each element is uniform. The conductivity of solid solution decreases first and then increases as Cr 2 O 3 doping content, reaches the maximum value of 4.33 × 10 −3  S cm −1 at 850 °C. The doping of Cr 2 O 3 is beneficial to improve the conductivity of the solid solution at low temperature.