Ceramic oxides with perovskite structures (A~(2+)B~(4+)O_3) have been receiving considerable attention in the solid-state electrochemical systems, such as the development of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), gas sensors, and hydrogen (H_2) permeable membranes. The goal of this investigation is to process a terbium-doped strontium cerate (SrCe_(0.95)Tb_(0.05)O_(3-delta)) (SCT) thin membrane films by spin-coating using ethylene glycol-based polymeric precursor. Continuous and dense SrCe_(0.95)Tb_(0.05)O_(3-delta) membrane thin films with neither pin-holes nor cracks are reported. The thicknesses of the membrane films are within the range of approx 200 nm - 2 mu m. For a single spin-coating cycle, the membrane film (200 nm thick) appears to be discontinues. However, the membrane films are dens for multiple spin-coating cycles. The polymeric precursor and the microstructure of the SrCe_(0.95)Tb_(0.05)O_(3-delta) membranes are characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), focused ion-beam (FIB) microscopy, and x-ray diffraction (XRD). This work reveals that good film quality with uniform texture and homogeneous structure can be produced via spin-coating technique as a function of spin-coating cycles and processing temperature. Also, surface morphology and grain size strongly depend on sintering temperature with even grain size distribution for each sintering temperature. The flexibility of the present process approach demonstrates the capability of precisely controlling the thickness of the ceramic membrane films within a sub-micron range.
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