Electrode materials and reaction mechanisms in solid oxide fuel cells: a brief review. III. Recent trends and selected methodological aspects

Improvement of La0.8Sr0.2MnO3-δ Cathode Material for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells by Addition of YFe0.5Co0.5O3

The high efficiency of solid oxide fuel cells with La_0.8Sr_0.2MnO_3−δ (LSM) cathodes working in the range of 800–1000 °C, rapidly decreases below 800 °C. The goal of this study is to improve the properties of LSM cathodes working in the range of 500–800 °C by the addition of YFe_0.5Co_0.5O₃ (YFC). Monophasic YFC is synthesized and sintered at 950 °C. Composite cathodes are prepared on Ce_0.8Sm_0.2O_1.9 electrolyte disks using pastes containing YFC and LSM powders mixed in 0:1, 1:19, and 1:1 weight ratios denoted LSM, LSM1, and LSM1, respectively. X-ray diffraction patterns of tested composites reveal the presence of pure perovskite phases in samples sintered at 950 °C and the presence of Sr₄Fe₄O₁₁, YMnO₃, and La_0.775Sr_0.225MnO_3.047 phases in samples sintered at 1100 °C. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy reveals that polarization resistance increases from LSM1, by LSM, to LSM2. Differences in polarization resistance increase with decreasing operating temperatures because activation energy rises in the same order and equals to 1.33, 1.34, and 1.58 eV for LSM1, LSM, and LSM2, respectively. The lower polarization resistance of LSM1 electrodes is caused by the lower resistance associated with the charge transfer process.

Technologies for the nitrogen oxides reduction from flue gas: A review

The required energy of the global industry is mostly generated from fossil fuel sources, such as natural gas, gasoline, diesel, oil, and coal. Nitrogen oxides are one of the main air pollutants that are produced from the combustion of fossil fuels in stationary and mobile sources. Development of new technologies to decrease the NO_x emission from exhaust gases is essential due to the harmful effect of NO_x on the environment and human health. Compared with pre-combustion and combustion methods (with <50% NO_x removal efficiency), the post-combustion methods with higher efficiency (above 80%) have attracted more attention in NO_x elimination. This review describes the currently used technologies of NO_x abatement. Different available post-combustion methods of NO_x removal, including selective catalytic reduction (using different types of reducing reagents, including ammonia, hydrogen, hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide), selective noncatalytic reduction, wet scrubbing, adsorption, electron beam, nonthermal plasma, and electrochemical reduction of NO_x, are discussed.

Effect of sintering temperature on electrochemical performance of porous SrTi1-xFexO3-δ (x = 0.35, 0.5, 0.7) oxygen electrodes for solid oxide cells

This work evaluates the effects of the sintering temperature (800 °C, 900 °C, 1000 °C) of SrTi1-xFexO3-δ (x = 0.35, 0.5, 0.7) porous electrodes on their electrochemical performance as potential oxygen electrode materials of solid oxide cells. The materials were prepared by a solid-state reaction method and revealed the expected cubic perovskite structure. After milling, the powders were characterised by a sub-micrometre particle size with high sinter-activity. It was shown that the lowest area specific resistance was achieved after sintering SrTi0.65Fe0.35O3 electrodes at 1000 °C, and SrTi0.5Fe0.5O3 and SrTi0.30Fe0.70O3 electrodes at 800 °C, which can be considered to be a relatively low temperature. In general, EIS measurements showed that increasing the Fe content results in lowered electrode polarisation and a decrease of the series resistance. Even though the studied materials have much lower total conductivities than state-of-the-art electrode materials (e.g. (La,Sr)(Co,Fe)O3), the polarisation resistances obtained in this work can be considered low.

Emergence of Rapid Oxygen Surface Exchange Kinetics during in Situ Crystallization of Mixed Conducting Thin Film Oxides

The oxygen surface exchange kinetics of mixed ionic and electronic conducting oxides (MIECs) play a critical role in the efficiency of intermediate-to-high-temperature electrochemical devices. Although there is increasing interest in low-temperature preparation of MIEC thin films, the impact of the resultant varied degrees of crystallinity on the surface exchange kinetics has not been widely investigated. Here, we probe the effect of crystallization on oxygen surface exchange kinetics in situ, by applying an optical transmission relaxation (OTR) approach during annealing of amorphous films. OTR enables contact-free, in situ, and continuous quantification of the oxygen surface exchange coefficient ( k_chem); we previously applied it to Pr _xCe_{1- x}O_2-δ and SrTi_{1- x}Fe _xO_3-δ thin films. In this work, the OTR approach was successfully extended to other mixed conducting thin film compositions for the first time (i.e., perovskite SrTi_0.65Co_0.35O_3-δ and Ruddlesden-Popper Sr₂Ti_0.65Fe_0.35O_4±δ), as well as to Pr_0.1Ce_0.9O_2-δ, enabling quantification of the k_chem of their native surfaces and comparison of the behavior of films with different final crystal structures. All thin films were prepared by pulsed laser deposition at 25 or 700-800 °C and subject to subsequent thermal treatments with simultaneous OTR monitoring of k_chem. The surface roughness, grain size, and crystallinity were evaluated by scanning probe microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Fluorite Pr_0.1Ce_0.9O_2-δ films grown at 25 °C did not exhibit an increase in k_chem after annealing, as they were already crystalline as grown at 25 °C. For all other compositions, OTR enabled in situ observation of both the crystallization process and the emergence of rapid surface exchange kinetics immediately upon crystallization. Perovskite SrTi_0.65Co_0.35O_3-δ and Ruddlesden-Popper Sr₂Ti_0.65Fe_0.35O_4±δ thin films grown at 25 °C exhibited at least 1-2 orders of magnitude enhanced k_chem after annealing compared with highly crystalline thin films grown at 800 °C, indicating the benefits of in situ crystallization.

Evaluation of Sm0.95Ba0.05Fe0.95Ru0.05O3 as a potential cathode material for solid oxide fuel cells

A new family of Sm_0.95Ba_0.05Fe_0.95Ru_0.05O₃ perovskite is synthesized via citric-acid method and investigated as prospective cathode material for SOFCs.

Compositional effect of Cr contamination susceptibility of La9.83Si6−x−yAlxFeyO26±δ apatite-type SOFC electrolytes in contact with CROFER 22 APU

Apatite type lanthanum silicate (ATLS) electrolytes in contact with CROFER 22 APU exhibit a compositional effect on their Cr contamination susceptibility.

Flexible sample environment for high resolution neutron imaging at high temperatures in controlled atmosphere

High material penetration by neutrons allows for experiments using sophisticated sample environments providing complex conditions. Thus, neutron imaging holds potential for performing in situ nondestructive measurements on large samples or even full technological systems, which are not possible with any other technique. This paper presents a new sample environment for in situ high resolution neutron imaging experiments at temperatures from room temperature up to 1100 °C and/or using controllable flow of reactive atmospheres. The design also offers the possibility to directly combine imaging with diffraction measurements. Design, special features, and specification of the furnace are described. In addition, examples of experiments successfully performed at various neutron facilities with the furnace, as well as examples of possible applications are presented. This covers a broad field of research from fundamental to technological investigations of various types of materials and components.

Electrochemical behavior of thin-film Sm-doped ceria: insights from the point-contact configuration

The electrochemical behavior of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) grown porous films of Sm-doped ceria (SDC) for hydrogen oxidation has been evaluated by impedance spectroscopy using a point contact geometry at a temperature of 650 °C.

Water-mediated electrochemical nano-writing on thin ceria films

Bias dependent mechanisms of irreversible cathodic and anodic processes on a pure CeO2 film are studied using modified atomic force microscopy (AFM). For a moderate positive bias applied to the AFM tip an irreversible electrochemical reduction reaction is found, associated with significant local volume expansion. By changing the experimental conditions we are able to deduce the possible role of water in this process. Simultaneous detection of tip height and current allows the onset of conductivity and the electrochemical charge transfer process to be separated, further elucidating the reaction mechanism. The standard anodic/cathodic behavior is recovered in the high bias regime, where a sizable transport current flows between the tip and the film. These studies give insight into the mechanisms of the tip-induced electrochemical reactions as mediated by electronic currents, and into the role of water in these processes, as well as providing a different approach for electrochemical nano-writing.

Mechanical control of electroresistive switching

Hysteretic metal-insulator transitions (MIT) mediated by ionic dynamics or ferroic phase transitions underpin emergent applications for nonvolatile memories and logic devices. The vast majority of applications and studies have explored the MIT coupled to the electric field or temperarture. Here, we argue that MIT coupled to ionic dynamics should be controlled by mechanical stimuli, the behavior we refer to as the piezochemical effect. We verify this effect experimentally and demonstrate that it allows both studying materials physics and enabling novel data storage technologies with mechanical writing and current-based readout.

Exploring mesoscopic physics of vacancy-ordered systems through atomic scale observations of topological defects

Vacancy-ordered transition metal oxides have multiple similarities to classical ferroic systems including ferroelectrics and ferroelastics. The expansion coefficients for corresponding Ginzburg-Landau-type free energies are readily accessible from bulk phase diagrams. Here, we demonstrate that the gradient and interfacial terms can quantitatively be determined from the atomically resolved scanning transmission electron microscopy data of the topological defects and interfaces in model lanthanum-strontium cobaltite. With this knowledge, the interplay between ordering, chemical composition, and mechanical effects at domain walls, interfaces and structural defects can be analyzed.