Understanding equilibrium and non-equilibrium dopant segregation towards more stable electrode materials

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As part of this research project, we have been investigating the effects of interfaces for the development of advanced components for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and solid oxide electrolyser cells (SOECs). We demonstrated that the number of point defects, which is critical for both anion and cation diffusion, can be manipulated at interfaces often present in electrodes for SOEC/SOFC devices. By fabricating nanostructures of proto-typical electrode materials, we were able to tailor the concentration of oxygen vacancies and, therefore, the transport properties.Furthermore, it was demonstrated that by controlling the lattice strain present in thin film systems, the mobility of such defects could be manipulated as a function of strain, migration direction, and defect-defect interactions.Finally, it was shown that the surface exchange of a mixed-ionic electronic conducting material, a potential candidate for solid oxide fuel cell electrodes, could be modified by up to seven orders of magnitude by infiltrating binary oxides onto the surface. Interestingly, the change in surface exchange was directly correlated to the acidity of the infiltrated oxide.