Materials World Network: Nanometric Effects at Ultra-Small Crystallite Size: Investigation of Low-Temperature Protonic Conductivity in Dense Functional Oxide Ceramics

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Motivated by the recent unprecedented observations on YSZ, the aim of this research project is to fundamentally investigate and provide a better understanding of the low-temperature protonic conductivity and related phenomena in dense, functional oxide materials with ultra-small crystallite sizes, such as acceptor-doped zirconia and ceria. The research project is a collaborative effort between the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science (Professors Z. A. Munir and S. Kim) at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), and the Institute of Physical Chemistry (Professor M. Martin) at RWTH Aachen University, Germany. At UC Davis fundamental investigations will be carried out (a) on the synthesis of nanocrystalline oxides by means of the PECS method, (b) on the structural characterization of the samples, and (c) on the electrical characterization of the prepared materials. At RWTH Aachen state-of-the-art time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) with a depth resolution below 1 nm will be used to investigate solubility and diffusion of protons (and deuterons) and diffusion of oxygen in nanocrystalline oxide samples prepared and characterized at UC Davis. Through the combined effort and the unique instrumentation on both sides (PECS and SIMS) we expect to provide an understanding of the fundamental proton and oxygen transport processes in dense, nanocrystalline oxides, as an example of the nanoscale effect in functional oxides.