Mixed conductivity in SrCe0.95Yb0.05O3 protonic conductors

The results of electrical conductivity measurements on SrCe_0.95Yb_0.05O₃ under controlled oxygen partial pressure and temperature are presented. A defect model consistent with experimental results is proposed which provides for P_O2^−1/4 dependent n-type, P_o2-independent oxygen ion and P_O2^+1/4 dependent p-type conductivity components. The band gap, reduction, oxidation and ion-migration energies are determined from an analysis of the data in terms of the proposed defect model. These results suggest that some earlier data interpreted in terms of protonic conduction may require re-evaluation.     

Measurement of mixed conductivity in thin films with microstructured Hebb–Wagner blocking electrodes

Determination of the ionic and electronic contributions to the total conductivity in mixed ionic–electronic conductors (MIEC) is central to understanding their properties, particularly in nanostructured ionic solids. The Hebb–Wagner blocking technique, commonly used to deconvolute ionic and electronic contributions in bulk MIECs, is susceptible to misinterpretation when applied to thin films. In this work, microfabricated electronic blocking electrodes consisting of porous Pt on dense thin yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) films were applied to nanocrystalline CeO₂ thin films. The validity of the blocking structure was expressly considered with respect to alternate current and gas phase reaction pathways, with criteria developed to aid in identifying spurious effects. The ionic partial conductivity in nanocrystalline CeO₂ thin films was confirmed to be pO₂-independent while the electronic partial conductivity was found to be pO₂ dependent with a power dependence of − 0.31 ± 0.02. These results are compared with theoretical predictions of extrinsically-compensated ceria and previous results on bulk nanocrystalline ceria.     

Effect of ceria nanoparticles on soot inception and growth in toluene-oxygen-argon mixtures

Soot formation from the combustion of toluene (C₆H₅CH₃) and of two concentrations of nano-sized-ceria-laden toluene was monitored using a shock tube to observe the effect of the organometallic additive on the formation of soot from its point of inception. Two concentrations of ceria, of chemical composition CeO_1.63, were employed to examine the effect on soot production of toluene over the range of temperature 1588-2370 K using two levels of inert gas dilution in which reflected-shock pressure was maintained near 1.5 atm. The ceria nanoparticles were synthesized using a microemulsion technique which employs sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate (AOT), a surfactant, to retard agglomeration. Introduction of the nanoparticles into the shock tube is achieved using a novel, two-stage injection procedure. Soot yield measurements reveal that the presence of ceria has no direct implications on peak soot concentration near 1950 K. A shift in the parabolic soot profile of toluene in the direction of increased temperature was observed for each concentration of ceria with a larger shift occurring for increased concentration of ceria, although the same effect was exhibited for the toluene-AOT mixtures in absence of ceria, supporting an inefficaciousness of ceria on soot suppression on kinetic timescales. It is evidenced in measured soot delay times that the presence of the surfactant in absence of ceria significantly slows the rate of soot growth for T < 2000 K, while the presence of ceria has a relatively negligible impact. Under conditions of higher fuel concentration, a remarkable decrease in soot accumulation on the shock tube walls was observed in experiments using the ceria-toluene mixtures over that yielded by pure toluene combustion. In the present paper, the authors report the first measurements of nanoparticle-influenced combustion of a hydrocarbon as performed in a shock tube.     

Electrical properties of calcia-doped ceria with oxygen ion conduction

The electrical conductivity of sintered specimens of (CeO₂)_1−x(CaO)_x was investigated by employing a standard four-probe dc technique as a function of temperature between 400°C and 900°C, composition from 0.10x0.80, and oxygen partial pressure from 10⁻¹⁸ to 1 atm. The temperature and composition dependence of the emf have been carried out with a concentration cell. X-ray diffraction studies indicated that a cubic fluorite crystal remained in all specimens studied, although the solubility limit of CaO in CeO₂ was assumed to lie close to 23 mol% from the change of the lattice constant. The magnitude of the conductivity decreased slightly with increase of the dopant concentrations up to x=0.50. The conductivity of these specimens was about 100 times larger than that of calcia-stabilized zirconia at 600°C with a smaller activation energies of 0.83–0.89 eV. With further increasing dopant concentrations, the magnitude of the conductivity was found to decrease remarkably. With an increase in the dopant concentration, the domain of primarily ionic conduction extended to a lower partial pressure. The conductivity of (CeO₂)_0.50(CaO)_0.50 was found to be primarily ionic down to 10⁻¹² atm even at 900°C. These results indicate that CaO-doped CeO₂ may be more an attractive candidate for fuel cells and other applications.     

Electrical properties and proton conduction of gadolinium doped ceria

The electrical properties and proton conduction of Gd_0.1Ce_0.9O_1.95 (10GCO) were investigated via impedance spectroscopy in different atmospheres and various gas concentration cells. In oxygen atmosphere, GCO is nearly a pure oxygen ionic conductor, while in hydrogen GCO behaves as a mixed conductor of oxygen ions, electrons and protons. Depending on the temperature, the total conductivity is usually enhanced by one to two orders of magnitude in hydrogen than in air/oxygen due to mixed conduction. By examining ionic transport properties of oxygen ions and protons using gas concentration cells we have discovered that the ionic transport properties depend largely on the gas atmospheres and change from one type to the other. Proton conduction generally exists in GCOs, and becomes significant in hydrogen atmospheres, which normally results in a contribution between 5 to 10 % of the total conductivity for 10 GCO. A maximum value of 17 % of the contribution by protons has been observed. The reduction of Ce⁴⁺ to Ce³⁺ of the sample in reduced atmospheres causes the formation of additional oxygen vacancies and electrons, associated also with the creation of protons. All these charge carriers are responsible for the electrical and transport properties of the investigated GCO materials. Paper presented at the 5th Euroconference on Solid State Ionics, Benalmádena, Spain, Sept. 13–20, 1998.     

Oxygen nonstoichiometry of nanosized ceria powder

Oxygen nonstoichiometry of nanocrystalline ceria powder with a particle size of about 12 nm was measured by thermogravimetric techniques as a function of temperature, oxygen partial pressure and synthetic route. The measured oxygen release/uptake from the samples under isothermal or isobaric conditions applied in this study are found to be predominantly due to variations in the surface nonstoichiometry. Its oxygen partial pressure dependence indicates the presence of surface oxygen vacancies in different ionization states in addition to segregated impurities.     

几种不同形状导体表面的电荷面密度

对无限大导体表面，楔形导体表面，半圆柱形凸起表面电荷面密度进行了具体的计算，结果表明在静电平衡的条件下导体表面虽曲率相同，但表面电荷面密度却可以不同．     

Dependence of reaction pressure on deposition and properties of boron-doped freestanding diamond films

In this paper, we investigate the reaction pressure-dependent growth and properties of boron-doped freestanding diamond films, synthesized by hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) at different boron-doping levels. With the decrease in pressure, the growth feature of the films varies from mixed [1 1 1] and [1 1 0] to dominated [1 1 1] texture. The low reaction pressure, as well as high boron-doping level, results in the increase (decrease) of carrier concentration (resistivity). The high concentration of atomic hydrogen in the ambient and preferable [1 1 1] growth, due to the low reaction pressure, is available for the enhancement of boron doping. The estimated residual stress increases with increase in the introducing boron level.     

Non-linear conduction in a quasi one-dimensional conductor at low temperatures

The current-voltage characteristics of a quasi one-dimensional organic system having asymmetric donor molecule like Qn-(TCNQ)₂ pellet with stoichiometry 1:2 grown from acetonitrile as a solvent have been studied atT=69 K. The characteristic curves show a pronounced deviation from ohmicity beyond a certain value of current. For higher values of currents a negative differential resistance region is observed.     

Electrical properties of bulk and grain boundaries of scandia-stabilized zirconia co-doped with yttria and ceria

The electrical properties of bulk and grain boundaries of scandia-stabilized zirconia co-doped with yttria and ceria have been determined as a function of temperature (300 < T/°C < 700) and oxygen partial pressure [10^− 24 ≤ p(O₂)/bar ≤ 1, T = 700 °C] by application of impedance spectroscopy. The yttria and ceria contents of Ce_xY_0.2 − xSc_0.6Zr_3.2O_8 − δ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.2) have been varied systematically. Homogeneous samples have been prepared by means of a sol-gel (glycine-nitrate) combustion process. The ionic conductivity in air is almost independent of composition with typical values around 0.03-0.04 S cm^− 1 for the bulk at 700 °C. A significant decrease of the ionic conductivities of bulk and grain boundaries is found for samples co-doped with ceria at low oxygen partial pressures [p(O₂) < 10^− 15 bar, T = 700 °C]. Activation energies for the ionic transport in oxidizing (air) and reducing (1%-H₂/Ar) atmospheres have been extracted from Arrhenius-plots. The oxygen nonstoichiometry in 1%-H₂/Ar has been investigated by employing thermogravimetry. The decrease of the ionic conductivity under reducing conditions is accompanied by an increase of the corresponding high temperature activation energy of the bulk, which is interpreted in terms of defect association or clustering.     

Density functional theory prediction for diffusion of lithium on boron-doped graphene surface

The density functional theory (DFT) investigation shows that graphene has changed from semimetal to semiconductor with the increasing number of doped boron atoms. Lithium and boron atoms acted as charge contributors and recipients, which attracted to each other. Further investigations show that, the potential barrier for lithium diffusion on boron-doped graphene is higher than that of intrinsic graphene. The potential barrier is up to 0.22 eV when six boron atoms doped (B₆C₂₆), which is the lowest potential barrier in all the doped graphene. The potential barrier is dramatically affected by the surface structure of graphene.     

Interfacial effects in electrochemical cells for oxygen ionic conduction measurements I. The e.m.f. method

Significant electrode polarization leads to the underestimation of apparent oxygen ion transference numbers of mixed ionic–electronic conductors, determined by measurement of either e.m.f. of oxygen concentration cells or Faradaic efficiency. In addition to e.m.f. data under open-circuit conditions, the exact measurement of the transference numbers requires no less than two parameters describing the system such as oxygen permeation flux, bulk resistance, voltage or current under closed-circuit conditions. Selected examples of experimental routes, aimed at taking electrode polarization into account, are considered. An appropriate choice of experimental procedures used in e.m.f. or Faradaic efficiency measurements, in combination with the use of electrodes with high polarization resistance, enables significant accuracy improvement in the determination of very small electronic contributions to the total conductivity. For potentiometric oxygen sensors, the presence of minor electronic conduction was shown to result in great experimental errors in the oxygen partial pressure measurement if the polarization resistance of sensor electrodes is high. Analogously, minor electronic conductivity in solid electrolytes may lead to a large error of the polarization resistance determination by impedance spectroscopy in conditions where the polarization resistance significantly exceeds the bulk resistance of the electrolyte.     

考虑空间电荷层效应的氧离子导体电解质内载流子传输特性

晶界或异质界面诱发的空间电荷层(space charge layer,SCL)效应,被认为是氧离子导体电解质内界面附近区域载流子传输特性显著区别于体相区域的关键原因之一.现有研究多采用Poisson-Boltzmann(PB)方程预测SCL效应的影响规律,但其基于载流子电化学平衡假设,无法用于载流子存在宏观运动的工况,极大限制了相关传输机理研究.本文耦合Poisson方程和载流子质量守恒方程,建立了适用于载流子具有宏观运动时氧离子导体内载流子传输过程的模型,推导了控制SCL效应的关键无量纲参数.聚焦固体氧化物燃料电池中常用的AO2-M2O3氧离子导体电解质,对比研究了传统PB方程和本文建立的Poisson-载流子质量守恒耦合方程的预测结果可靠性.进一步采用耦合模型深入分析了考虑SCL效应时氧离子导体内部氧空位传输机理,发现导体界面电流密度增大导致SCL电阻先减小后增大.增大无量纲Debye长度(表征空间电荷层厚度与导体厚度的比值)可显著增大SCL电阻.当驱动氧空位移动的过电势与热势数量级相当时,增大无量纲电势(表征过电势与热势的比值)导致SCL电阻增大;当过电势远小于热势时,改变无量纲电势对氧空位传输过程几乎无影响.本文研究结论可为通过合理设计晶界或异质界面以改善氧离子导体内载流子传输能力及最终提高相关电化学器件性能提供理论依据.     

Effect of Sm,Co codoping on the dielectric and magnetoelectric properties of BiFeO3 polycrystalline ceramics

Multiferroic Bi_0.95Sm_0.05Fe_1−xCo_xO₃ (x=0−0.1) ceramics were prepared by the rapid liquid phase sintering method. For all the samples studied, the dielectric constant and dielectric loss decrease with increasing frequency in the range from 1 kHz to 1 MHz. It shows that the dielectric constant of Bi_0.95Sm_0.05FeO₃ at 10 kHz is about forty times larger than that of pure BiFeO₃. This dramatic change in the dielectric properties of Bi_0.95Sm_0.05Fe_1−xCo_xO₃ (x=0−0.1) samples can be understood in terms of the space charge limited conduction associated with crystal defects, which was indicated by the increase of magnetoelectric effect with doping Co³⁺ under applied magnetic field from 1 to 8 kOe. It was believed that the ferroelectric polarization enhancement comes from the exchange interaction between the Sm³⁺ and Fe³⁺ or Co³⁺ ions for Bi_0.95Sm_0.05Fe_0.95Co_0.05O₃ at room temperature.     

A density functional theory study of formaldehyde adsorption on ceria

Molecular adsorption of formaldehyde on the stoichiometric CeO₂(1 1 1) and CeO₂(1 1 0) surfaces was studied using periodic density functional theory. Two adsorption modes (strong chemisorbed and weak physisorbed) were identified on both surfaces. This is consistent with recent experimental observations. On the (1 1 1) surface, formaldehyde strongly chemisorbs with an adsorption energy of 0.86 eV to form a dioxymethylene-like structure, in which a surface O lifts from the surface to bind with the C of formaldehyde. A weak physisorbed state with adsorption energy of 0.28 eV was found with the O of formaldehyde interacting with a surface Ce. On the (1 1 0) surface, dioxymethyelene formation was also observed, with an adsorption energy of 1.31 eV. The weakly adsorbed state of formaldehyde on the (1 1 0) surface was energetically comparable to the weak adsorption state on the (1 1 1) surface. Analysis of the local density of states and charge density differences after adsorption shows that strong covalent bonding occurs between the C of formaldehyde and surface O when dioxymethylene forms. Calculated vibrational frequencies also confirm dioxymethylene formation. Our results show that as the coverage increases, the adsorption of formaldehyde on the (1 1 1) surface becomes weak, but is nearly unaffected on the (1 1 0) surface.     

Modification in structural and optical properties of ZnO, CeO2 doped Al2O3-PbO-B2O3 glasses

The structural and optical analysis of glasses is carried out by XRD, FTIR, density and UV visible spectroscopic measurement techniques. XRD results have confirmed the glassy nature of the samples. The FTIR spectral analysis reveals that with the combined presence of ZnO and CeO₂ contents in Al₂O₃-PbO-B₂O₃ glasses, more BO₃ groups are transformed into BO₄. The optical analysis reveals that optical band gap energy decreases more for CeO₂-ZnO-Al₂O₃-PbO-B₂O₃ glasses (from 2.28 to 1.84 eV). The presence of CeO₂ and ZnO in the glass samples causes more compaction of the borate network due to the formation of more BO₄ groups and the presence of ZnO₄ groups, which results an increase in density, refractive index and decrease of molar volume.     

Optical and electrical properties of In-doped CdO thin films fabricated by pulse laser deposition

Transparent indium-doped cadmium oxide (In-CdO) thin films were deposited on quartz glass substrates by pulse laser deposition (PLD) from ablating Cd-In metallic target at a fixed pressure 10 Pa and a fixed substrate temperature 300 °C. The influences of indium concentrations in target on the microstructure, optical and electrical performances were studied. When the indium concentration reaches to 3.9 wt%, the as-deposited In-CdO film shows high optical transmission in visible light region, obviously enhanced direct band gap energy (2.97 eV), higher carrier concentration and lower electric resistivity compared with the undoped CdO film, while a further increase of indium concentration to 5.6 wt% induces the formation of In₂O₃, which reverse the variation of these parameters and performance.     

钙钛矿型中温固体氧化物燃料电池阴极Ba0.5Sr0.5Al0.1Fe0.9O3-δ

研究一种新型不含钴的钙钛矿型中温固体氧化物燃料电池阴极Ba_0.5Sr_0.5Al_0.1Fe_0.9O_3-δ (BSAF)材料的晶体结构、电导率以及在对称电池中的电极极化性能. 研究发现,BSAF阴极在空气中低于450 oC表现出典型的具有正温度系数的半导体行为,最高电导率达到14 S/cm;在450-750 oC,却表现出负温度系数,且电导率在750 oC下降到6 S/cm. 电化学研究表明,在基于混合离子导体的对称电池中,BSAF阴极在650-700 oC表现出良好的电极极化性能.以3%H₂O/H₂为燃料和空气为氧化剂,单电池在700 oC的开路电压和最大功率输出分别达到420 mW/cm².     

Tailoring mixed proton-electronic conductivity of BaZrO3 by Y and Pr co-doping for cathode application in protonic SOFCs

BaZr_0.8 − xPr_xY_0.2O_3 − δ (BZPYx, 0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.4) perovskite oxides were investigated for application as cathode materials for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells based on proton conducting electrolytes (protonic-SOFCs). The BZPYx reactivity with CO₂ and water vapor was evaluated by thermogravimetric and X-ray diffraction analyses, and good chemical stability was observed for each BZPYx composition. Conductivity measurements of BZPYx sintered pellets were performed as a function of temperature and p_O2 in humidified atmospheres, corresponding to cathode operating condition in protonic-SOFCs. Different conductivity values and activation energies were measured depending on the Pr content, suggesting the presence of different charge carriers. For all the compositions, the partial electronic conductivity, calculated from conductivity measurements at different p_O2, increased with increasing the temperature from 500 to 700 °C. Furthermore, the larger the Pr content, the larger the electronic conductivity. BaZr_0.7Pr_0.1Y_0.2O_3 − δ and BaZr_0.4Pr_0.4Y_0.2O_3 − δ showed mostly pure proton and electron conductivity, respectively, whereas the intermediate compositions showed mixed proton/electronic conductivity. Among the two mixed proton/electronic conductors, BaZr_0.6Pr_0.3Y_0.2O_3 − δ presented the larger conductivity, which coupled with its good chemical stability, makes this perovskite oxide a candidate cathode materials for protonic-SOFCs.     

Defect chemistry of grain boundaries in proton-conducting solid oxides

The defect chemistry of charged grain boundaries in an acceptor-doped oxide in equilibrium with water vapour is examined theoretically. The basis of the theoretical approach is that the formation of charged grain boundaries and attendant space-charge zones is governed by differences in the standard chemical potentials of oxygen vacancies and hydroxide ions between bulk and grain-boundary core, that is, by the thermodynamic driving energies for defect redistribution. A one-dimensional continuum treatment is used to predict the space-charge potential and defect concentrations in the grain-boundary core as a function of water partial pressure, temperature and acceptor dopant concentration for various values of the two thermodynamic driving energies. The results are discussed with respect to experimental data in the literature for acceptor-doped perovskite oxides (e.g. BaZrO₃) and fluorite oxides (e.g. CeO₂).