Densification and Proton Conductivity of La1-xBaxScO3-δ Electrolyte Membranes

Bain La1-xBaxScO3-δ impairs sintering and leads to a decrease in its ceramic density. Two approaches have been studied for obtaining dense ceramics: using a high processing temperature and the introduction of a Co3O4 sintering additive. An addition of only 0.5 wt% of Co3O4 sintering additive, despite the positive sintering effect, causes a noticeable violation of stoichiometry, with partial decomposition of the material. This can lead to the formation of cationic vacancies, which form associates with oxygen vacancies and significantly reduce the oxygen ion and proton conductivity of the materials. There is also a partial substitution of Co for Sc in La1-xBaxScO3-δ, which reduces the stability of protons: it reduces the enthalpy of the hydration reaction, but increases the mobility of protons. Thus, the Co3O4 sintering additive causes a complex of negative effects on the conductivity of La1-xBaxScO3-δ materials. Only high-temperature (1800 °C) processing with protection against Ba loss contributes to the production of dense La1-xBaxScO3-δ ceramics. The chemical composition of such ceramics corresponds well to the specified one, which ensures high water uptake and, consequently, high proton conductivity

X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy for investigation of Heterogeneous Catalytic Processes

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is commonly applied for the characterization of surfaces in ultrahigh vacuum apparatus, but the application of XPS at elevated pressures has been known for more than 35 years. This review is a description of the development of XPS as a novel method to characterize surfaces of catalysts under reaction conditions. This technique offers opportunities for determination of correlations between the electronic surface structures of active catalysts and the catalytic activity, which can be characterized simultaneously by analysis of gas-phase products. Apparatus used for XPS investigations of samples in reactive atmospheres is described here; the application of synchrotron radiation allows the determination of depth profiles in the catalyst, made possible by changes in the photon energy. The methods are illustrated with examples including methanol oxidation on copper and ethylene epoxidation on silver. Correlations between the abundance of surface oxygen species and yields of selective oxidation products are presented in detail. Further examples include CO adsorption and methanol decomposition on palladium and CO oxidation on ruthenium