Issue 6, 2013

Epitaxial growth and enhanced conductivity of an IT-SOFC cathode based on a complex perovskite superstructure with six distinct cation sites

Abstract

Epitaxial thin films of the 10 layer cubic perovskite superstructure Ba1.7Ca2.4Y0.9Fe5O13 were grown by pulsed laser deposition, retaining the six distinct cation sites found in the bulk material. Growth on single crystal strontium titanate (STO) (0 0 1) substrates changes the observed symmetry from orthorhombic to tetragonal and orients the layer stacking direction of the superstructure normal to the substrate plane. The material is a candidate cathode for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and in the intermediate temperature (IT) region at 600 °C we measure the in-plane AC conductivity of the thin film as 30 S cm−1, significantly enhanced over 3.5 S cm−1 found for the polycrystalline form. This is assigned to reduction of the grain boundary density and alignment of the planes predicted to have the highest electronic and ionic conductivities. High resolution electron microscopy measurements demonstrate the atomic site ordering producing the superstructure and reveal defects associated with stacking faults in the ordering sequence.

Graphical abstract: Epitaxial growth and enhanced conductivity of an IT-SOFC cathode based on a complex perovskite superstructure with six distinct cation sites

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
07 Nov 2012
Accepted
01 Apr 2013
First published
03 Apr 2013
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Sci., 2013,4, 2403-2412

Epitaxial growth and enhanced conductivity of an IT-SOFC cathode based on a complex perovskite superstructure with six distinct cation sites

R. Sayers, N. L. O. Flack, J. Alaria, P. A. Chater, R. G. Palgrave, S. R. C. McMitchell, S. Romani, Q. M. Ramasse, T. J. Pennycook and M. J. Rosseinsky, Chem. Sci., 2013, 4, 2403 DOI: 10.1039/C3SC21931C

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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