Solid Oxide Cell Materials Discovery and Optimisation
Our work in the area of solid oxide cells includes work on solid oxide fuel cells, solid oxide electrolysers and includes materials development, structural and functional characterisation. Current areas of interest are in the areas of oxide ion conducting air electrodes, proton transport in oxides, and include investigation using labelled isotopes to trace oxygen and hydrogen mobility, impedance spectroscopy to probe electrode and cell behaviour. We make extensive use of the UK national facilities to investigate structure transitions and correlate these with electrochemical measurements.
Recent Publications:
1) Evolution of structure in the incommensurate modulated LaNb1-xWxO4+x/2 (x = 0.04–0.16) oxide ion conductors, C. Li, S.S. Pramana, R. D. Bayliss, C. P. Grey, F. Blanc, and S. J. Skinner, Chem. Mater. 32 2292-2303 2020 DOI:10.1021/acs.chemmater.9b04255
2) Synergistic effects of temperature and polarization on Cr poisoning of La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Cathodes, N. Ni, C.C. Wang, S.P. Jiang and S.J. Skinner, J. Mater. Chem. A 7 9253-9262 2019 DOI: 10.1039/c9ta01275c
3) La2Pr2Ni3O10+/-d Ruddlesden-Popper phase as potential intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell cathodes, M. A. Yatoo, Z. Du, H. Zhao, A. Aguadero and S.J. Skinner, Solid State Ionics, 320 148-151 2018 DOI:10.1016/j.ssi.2018.02.043
4) Surface Chemistry of La0.99Sr0.01NbO4-d and Its Implication for Proton Conduction, C. Li, S. S. Pramana, N. Ni, J. Kilner, S. J. Skinner, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 2017 9 29633-29642 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.7b04856
Project Funding:
1) "Understanding the critical role of interfaces and surfaces in energy materials", EPSRC Platform grant EP/R002010/1
2) "Solid oxide interfaces for faster ion transport", EPSRC-JSPS Core-to-Core network, EP/P026478/1
3) "Control of structure, strain and chemistry: a route to designer fuel cell interfaces" EPSRC grant, EP/M014142/1