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Improved oxygen surface exchange kinetics at grain boundaries in nanocrystalline yttria-stabilized zirconia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 August 2012

Joong Sun Park ,
Timothy P. Holme ,
Joon Hyung Shim  and
Fritz B. Prinz
Joong Sun Park*
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305; Environmental Energy Technologies Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720
Timothy P. Holme
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305
Joon Hyung Shim
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
Fritz B. Prinz
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305; Department of Material Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305
*
Address all correspondence to Joong Sun Park at joongspark@lbl.gov
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Abstract

Quantum simulations of oxygen incorporation at a Σ5 grain boundary in yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), a common solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) electrolyte, show that the incorporation energy is reduced compared with YSZ with no grain boundaries. The simulation results are supported by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements conducted on a single crystalline YSZ substrate with nanogranular interlayered YSZ. EIS results showed that single crystalline YSZ membranes with nanogranular surface (i.e., high grain boundary densities) exhibit small electrode impedances than the reference single crystalline YSZ. The 20-nm-thick nanogranular YSZ interlayer was fabricated by atomic layer deposition and the performance for SOFCs with nanograined interlayer was increased by factor of 2 at operating temperatures between 350 and 450 °C.

Type
Research Letters
Information
MRS Communications , Volume 2 , Issue 3 , September 2012 , pp. 107 - 111
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2012

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