Topotactically Transformable Antiphase Boundaries with Enhanced Ionic Conductivity

Overview

Journal Nat Commun

Specialty Biology

Date 2023 Nov 15

PMID 37968326

Authors

Kun Xu

Shih-Wei Hung

Wenlong Si

Yongshun Wu

Chuanrui Huo

Pu Yu

Xiaoyan Zhong

Jing Zhu

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Engineering lattice defects have emerged as a promising approach to effectively modulate the functionality of devices. Particularly, antiphase boundaries (APBs) as planar defects have been considered major obstacles to optimizing the ionic conductivity of mixed ionic-electronic conductors (MIECs) in solid oxide fuel applications. Here our study identifies topotactically transformable APBs (tt-APBs) at the atomic level and demonstrates that they exhibit higher ionic conductivity at elevated temperatures as compared to perfect domains. In-situ observation at the atomic scale tracks dynamic oxygen migration across these tt-APBs, where the abundant interstitial sites between tetrahedrons facilitate the ionic migration. Furthermore, annealing in an oxidized atmosphere can lead to the formation of interstitial oxygen at these APBs. These pieces of evidence clearly clarify that the tt-APBs can contribute to oxygen conductivity as anion diffusion channels, while the topotactically non-transformable APBs cannot. The topotactic transformability opens the way of defect engineering strategies for improving ionic transportation in MIECs.

Citing Articles

Topotactically transformable antiphase boundaries with enhanced ionic conductivity.

Xu K, Hung S, Si W, Wu Y, Huo C, Yu P Nat Commun. 2023; 14(1):7382.

PMID: 37968326 PMC: 10651924. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43086-5.

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