Oxygen Interstitial Defects and Ion Hopping Conduction of $X ThO_2 + (1-X) Gd_2O_3 $Solid Solutions: $O.O8{\le}X{\le}0.12$

$Gd_2O_3-ThO_2$ solid solutions containing 8,10 and 12 mol % $ThO_2$ were synthesized with spectroscopically pure $Gd_2O_3,$ and $ThO_2$ polycrystalline powders. X-ray diffraction revealed that all synthesized specimens have the modified fluorite structure, and the lattice parameter of $Gd_2O_3$ is nearly unchanged with increasing $ThO_2$ mol %. Both ac and dc conductivities were measured in the temperature range $500-1100^{\circ}C$ under $Po_2's$ from $10^{-6}$ to $10^{-1}$ atm. The dc conductivities are nearly independent of $Po_2,$ and agree with the ac values. This implies that the solid solutions are ionic conductors. The conductivity increases with increasing $ThO_2$ mol % with an average activation energy of 1.23 eV. An oxygen interstitial defect and ionic hopping conduction are suggested.