Oxygen isotope exchange in praseodymium nickelate

Oxygen surface exchange kinetics and diffusion were studied in Pr₂NiO_4?+?δ (PNO) by the isotope exchange method with gas phase equilibration in the temperature range of 600–800 °C and oxygen pressure range of 0.33–1.62 kPa. The oxygen heterogeneous exchange rate (r_H), oxygen diffusion coefficient (D), rates of oxygen dissociative adsorption (r_a), and oxygen incorporation (r_i) were calculated along with the apparent activation energies of oxygen surface exchange and diffusion processes. The temperature dependence of r_H was found to benon-linear in Arrhenius coordinates. The apparent activation energy changed from 1.4?±?0.2 eV at T?>?700 °C to 2.0?±?0.1 eV. This might be attributed to the change in the rate-determining stage of oxygen exchange for Pr₂NiO_4?+?δ at T ~?700 °C, because of a shift in the ratio between r_a and r_i caused by the difference in their activation energies. Possible reasons for the observed changes in the rate-determining stage are discussed.