Grain boundary, properties

The quantitative analysis of conventionally obtained grain boundary impedance data is problematic if grain boundary properties strongly vary from boundary to bound-... 

Fig. 13. (a) Sketch of the microelectrode configuration used to investigate the distribution of grain boundary properties, (b) Typical impedance spectrum calculated for a model sample (inset) consisting of 24 cubic grains and two microelectrodes on adjacent grains. An equivalent circuit consisting of two serial RC-elements (inset) can be used to fit the spectrum. 

A quantitative analysis of grain boundary impedances measured with macroscopic electrodes can be rather problematic if grain boundary properties vary from boundary to boundary (cf. Sec. 3.2). Hence, additional information on the distribution of grain boundary resistivities is often desired. Microelectrode measurements can yield such additional information (Sec. 4.2) and below a microcontact impedance spectroscopic study of grain boundaries in a polycrystal is exemplarily presented. The material of choice is again SrTiCE (0.2 mol % Fe-doped), which represents a model material for the technologically highly important class of perovskite-type titanates (see also above). 

Fleig reviews fundamental aspects of solid state ionics, and illustrates many similarities between the field of solid state electrochemistry and liquid electrochemistry. These include the consideration of mass and charge transport, electrochemical reactions at electrode/solid interfaces, and impedance spectroscopy. Recent advances in microelectrodes based on solid state ionics are reviewed, along with their application to measuring inhomogeneous bulk conductivities, grain boundary properties, and electrode kinetics of reactions on anion conductors. 

BONANOS In most experimental situations the system of electrodes, interfaces, bulk, grain boundary properties etc. are effectively connected in series. What is the relevance of the Voight and naxwell models in such situations ... 

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