High temperature Electrochemical Method for the Determination of the Oxygen Concentration

It was reported that a new electrochemical method using solid electrolyte, stabilized ZrO2, was applied to the determination of the oxygen content in molten metals (Cu and Fe). This method proved to be convenient and timesaving, but expensive. The measured emf values were valid for the low oxygen concentration, at which Henry's law is obeyed and at the same time the stabilized ZrO2 shows a wholly oxygen ionic conductivity. In this method the following points should be improved: 1. Complete separation of two electrode compartments by the electrolyte is required to prevent oxygen from diffusing through the gas phase. 2. As an electrolyte the stabilized ZrO2 should have high thermal shock resistance and the reduced electronic conductivity which is replaced by the oxygen ionic conductivity