Complexions at the Electrolyte/Electrode Interface in Solid Oxide Cells
Abstract
Rapid deactivation presently limits a wide spread use of high-temperature solid oxide cells (SOCs) as otherwise highly efficient chemical energy converters. With deactivation triggered by the ongoing conversion reactions, an atomic-scale understanding of the active triple-phase boundary (TPB) between electrolyte, electrode and gas phase is essential to increase cell performance. Here we use a multi-method approach comprising transmission electron microscopy and first-principles calculations and molecular simulations to untangle the atomic arrangement of the prototypical SOC interface between a lanthanum strontium manganite (LSM) anode and an yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte. We identify an interlayer of self-limited width with partial amorphization and strong compositional gradient, thus exhibiting the characteristics of a complexion that is stabilized by the confinement between two bulk phases. This offers a new perspective to understand the function of SOCs at the atomic scale. Moreover, it opens up a hitherto unrealized design space to tune the conversion efficiency.
Authors 13
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Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society · Technical University of Munich
Affiliation as printed
Fritz-Haber-Institut der
Technische Universität München , Department of Chemistry , Chair for Theoretical Chemistry and Catalysis Research Center , 85748 Garching , Germany
Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Theory Department, 14195 Berlin, Germany
Technische Universität München, Department of Chemistry, Chair for Theoretical Chemistry and Catalysis Research Center, 85748 Garching, Germany
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Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society
Affiliation as printed
Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
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Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society
Affiliation as printed
Fritz-Haber-Institut der
Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Department of Inorganic Chemistry, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society
Affiliation as printed
Fritz-Haber-Institut der
Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Department of Inorganic Chemistry, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society
Affiliation as printed
Fritz-Haber-Institut der
Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Department of Inorganic Chemistry, 14195 Berlin, Germany
-
Affiliation as printed
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH , Institute of Energy and Climate Research , Fundamental Electrochemistry (IEK -9) , 52425 Jülich , Germany
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institute of Energy and Climate Research, Fundamental Electrochemistry (IEK-9), 52425 Jülich, Germany
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Forschungszentrum Jülich · RWTH Aachen University
Affiliation as printed
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH , Institute of Energy and Climate Research , Fundamental Electrochemistry (IEK -9) , 52425 Jülich , Germany
RWTH Aachen University , Institute of Physical Chemistry , 52056 Aachen , Germany
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institute of Energy and Climate Research, Fundamental Electrochemistry (IEK-9), 52425 Jülich, Germany
RWTH Aachen University, Institute of Physical Chemistry, 52056 Aachen, Germany
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Forschungszentrum Jülich · Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society · Technical University of Munich
Affiliation as printed
Fritz-Haber-Institut der
Technische Universität München , Department of Chemistry , Chair for Theoretical Chemistry and Catalysis Research Center , 85748 Garching , Germany
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institute of Energy and Climate Research, Fundamental Electrochemistry (IEK-9), 52425 Jülich, Germany
Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Theory Department, 14195 Berlin, Germany
Technische Universität München, Department of Chemistry, Chair for Theoretical Chemistry and Catalysis Research Center, 85748 Garching, Germany
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Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society · Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion
Affiliation as printed
Fritz-Haber-Institut der
Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion , Department of Heterogeneous Reactions , 45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr , Germany
Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Department of Inorganic Chemistry, 14195 Berlin, Germany
Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, Department of Heterogeneous Reactions, 45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
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Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society · Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion
Affiliation as printed
Fritz-Haber-Institut der
Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion , Department of Heterogeneous Reactions , 45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr , Germany
Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Department of Inorganic Chemistry, 14195 Berlin, Germany
Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, Department of Heterogeneous Reactions, 45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
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Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society · Technical University of Munich
Affiliation as printed
Fritz-Haber-Institut der
Technische Universität München , Department of Chemistry , Chair for Theoretical Chemistry and Catalysis Research Center , 85748 Garching , Germany
Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Theory Department, 14195 Berlin, Germany
Technische Universität München, Department of Chemistry, Chair for Theoretical Chemistry and Catalysis Research Center, 85748 Garching, Germany
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Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society
Affiliation as printed
Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Department of Inorganic Chemistry, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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