  Recent investigations have shown that highly oxygen defective cerium oxides
generate non-classical electrostriction that is superior to lead-based
ferroelectrics. In this work, we report the effect of field-assisted spark
plasma sintering (SPS) on electro-chemo-mechanical properties on Ca-doped ceria
(CDC). Nanometric powders of ca. 10 nm are rapidly consolidated to form
polycrystalline nanostructures with a high degree of crystalline disorder.
Remarkably, the resultant material demonstrates a large electromechanical
strain without a frequency-related relaxation effect. We conclude that
electromechanical activity in CDC materials strictly depends on the Ca-VO
interaction, while disorder at the crystalline boundaries has a minor effect.
