Preparation of Solid Electrolytes

Thin-film solid electrolytes in the range of lpm have the advantage that the material which is inactive for energy storage is minimized and the resistance of the solid electrolyte film is drastically decreased for geometrical reasons. This allows the application of a large variety of solid electrolytes which exhibit quite poor ionic conductivity but high thermodynamic stability. The most important thin-film preparation methods for solid electrolytes are briefly summarized below. 

Today, the term solid electrolyte or fast ionic conductor or, sometimes, superionic conductor is used to describe solid materials whose conductivity is wholly due to ionic displacement. Mixed conductors exhibit both ionic and electronic conductivity. Solid electrolytes range from hard, refractory materials, such as 8 mol% Y2C>3-stabilized Zr02(YSZ) or sodium fT-AbCb (NaAluOn), to soft proton-exchange polymeric membranes such as Du Pont s Nafion and include compounds that are stoichiometric (Agl), non-stoichiometric (sodium J3"-A12C>3) or doped (YSZ). The preparation, properties, and some applications of solid electrolytes have been discussed in a number of books2 5 and reviews.6,7 The main commercial application of solid electrolytes is in gas sensors.8,9 Another emerging application is in solid oxide fuel cells.4,5,1, n... 

Electrode preparation can be a significant problem for some catalyst systems. In general, it is necessary to sinter the catalyst to ensure adherence to the electrolyte substrate. This does not present much of a problem for metal electrodes but for oxides, where a particular phase may be required, the need for sintering can cause difficulties. This review will not, however, deal with the details of electrode preparation rather the reader should refer to an original article for details of preparation of a particular electrode (a short review of electrode preparation in solid electrolyte electrochemical cells can be found in reference S). 

Yang, J.H., Wen, Z.Y., Gu, Z.H., and Yan, D.S., Ionic conductivity and micro structure of solid electrolyte La2Mo209 prepared by spark-plasma sintering. Journal of the European Ceramic Society, 2005, 25, 3315-3321. 

The Synthesis and Fabrication of Ceramics for Special Application 17.3.7. Preparation of Solid State Electrolytes... 

Preparation of Solid State Electrolytes 17.3.7.1. )S-Alumina Ceramic Electrolytes... 

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