Solid electrolyte interfaces

Figure 4.7. Schematic representation of the location of electrocatalytically and catalytically active sites in a section perpendicular to the catalyst film-solid electrolyte interface.

Both the counter and the reference electrodes are essential for fundamental NEMCA studies. They need not be of the same material with the catalyst. The counter electrode-solid electrolyte interface does not have to be polarizable. In fact, it is advantageous when it is not, because then most of the applied potential difference ends up as overpotential at the catalyst and not at the counter electrode. 

The reference electrode-solid electrolyte interface must also be non-polarizable, so that rapid equilibration is established for the electrocatalytic charge-transfer reaction. Thus it is generally advisable to sinter the counter and reference electrodes at a temperature which is lower than that used for the catalyst film. Porous Pt and Ag films exposed to ambient air have been employed in most previous NEMCA studies.1,19... 

Again the extent to which such parallel reactions contribute to the measured current is not very easy to quantify. However, fortunately, such a quantification is not necessary for the description of NEMCA. What is needed is only a measure of the overall electrocatalytic activity of the metal-solid electrolyte interface or, equivalently, of the tpb, and this can be obtained by determining the value of a single electrochemical parameter, the exchange current I0, which is related to the exchange current density i0 via ... 

Solid electrolyte cells can be used to alter significantly the work function catalytically active, catalyst electrode surface by polarizing the catalyst-solid electrolyte interface. 

We start by considering a schematic representation of a porous metal film deposited on a solid electrolyte, e.g., on Y203-stabilized-Zr02 (Fig. 5.17). The catalyst surface is divided in two distinct parts One part, with a surface area AE is in contact with the electrolyte. The other with a surface area Aq is not in contact with the electrolyte. It constitutes the gas-exposed, i.e., catalytically active film surface area. Catalytic reactions take place on this surface only. In the subsequent discussion we will use the subscripts E (for electrolyte) and G (for gas), respectively, to denote these two distinct parts of the catalyst film surface. Regions E and G are separated by the three-phase-boundaries (tpb) where electrocatalytic reactions take place. Since, as previously discussed, electrocatalytic reactions can also take place to, usually,a minor extent on region E, one may consider the tpb to be part of region E as well. It will become apparent below that the essence of NEMCA is the following One uses electrochemistry (i.e. a slow electrocatalytic reaction) to alter the electronic properties of the metal-solid electrolyte interface E. 

Figure 5.17. Schematic representation of a metal crystallite deposited on YSZ and of the changes induced in its electronic properties upon polarizing the catalyst-solid electrolyte interface and changing the Fermi level (or electrochemical potential of electrons) from an initial value p to a new value p -eri30 31 Reprinted with permission from Elsevier Science.

The non-zero value of e Fw-e FR in Eq. (5.35) implies that there are net surface charges on the gas exposed electrode surfaces. These charges (q+,q.) have to be opposite and equal as the cell is overall electrically neutral and all other charges are located at the metal-solid electrolyte interfaces to maintain their electroneutrality. The charges q+ = -q. are quite small in relation to the charges, Q, stored at the metal-electrolyte interface but nevertheless the... 

Figures 5.29a and 5.29b show the Bode and Nyquist plot for a resistor, Ro, connected in series with a resistor, Rt, and capacitor, Ci, connected in parallel. This is the simplest model which can be used for a metal-solid electrolyte interface. Note in figure 5.29b how the first intersect of the semicircle with the real axis gives Ro and how the second intersect gives Ro+Rj. Also note how the capacitance, Ct, can be computed from the frequency value, fm, at the top of the semicircle (summit frequency), via C l JifmR .

Figure 5.29. Bode (a) and corresponding Nyquist plot (b) of the circuit shown in inset which is frequently used to model a metal/solid electrolyte interface. Effect (c) of capacitance C2 on the Nyquist plot at fixed R0, R( and R2.

It is thus clear from the previous discussion that the absolute electrode potential is not a property of the electrode material (as it does not depend on electrode material) but is a property of the solid electrolyte and of the gas composition. To the extent that equilibrium is established at the metal-solid electrolyte interface the Fermi levels in the two materials are equal (Fig. 7.10) and thus eU 2 (abs) also expresses the energy of transfering an electron from the Fermi level of the YSZ solid electrolyte, in equilibrium with po2=l atm, to a point outside the electrolyte surface. It thus also expresses the energy of solvation of an electron from vacuum to the Fermi level of the solid electrolyte. 

The extent to which anode polarization affects the catalytic properties of the Ni surface for the methane-steam reforming reaction via NEMCA is of considerable practical interest. In a recent investigation62 a 70 wt% Ni-YSZ cermet was used at temperatures 800° to 900°C with low steam to methane ratios, i.e., 0.2 to 0.35. At 900°C the anode characteristics were i<>=0.2 mA/cm2, Oa=2 and ac=1.5. Under these conditions spontaneously generated currents were of the order of 60 mA/cm2 and catalyst overpotentials were as high as 250 mV. It was found that the rate of CH4 consumption due to the reforming reaction increases with increasing catalyst potential, i.e., the reaction exhibits overall electrophobic NEMCA behaviour with a 0.13. Measured A and p values were of the order of 12 and 2 respectively.62 These results show that NEMCA can play an important role in anode performance even when the anode-solid electrolyte interface is non-polarizable (high Io values) as is the case in fuel cell applications. 

Figure 8.63, Scanning electron micrographs of the Rh/YSZ catalyst top view (up) and a cross section of the catalyst-solid electrolyte interface (down).67,68 Reprinted from ref. 67 with permission from the Institute for Ionics.

An important result of this study is the conclusion of a particle-size-dependent COads surface mobility. The value obtained for large Ft particles is significantly smaller than Deo at a solid/gas interface. However, Kobayashi and co-workers, using solid state NMR, performed measurements of the tracer diffusion coefficient Deo at the solid/electrolyte interface and for Ft-black particles (about 5nm grain... 

Similarly to charge-transfer processes at solid-electrolyte interfaces, the ET rate for heterogeneous reactions at ITIES is determined by the flux of reactants to the interface as well... 

Furtak, T.E. Kliewer, K.L. Lynch, D.W., Eds Non-Traditional Approaches to the Study of the Solid-Electrolyte Interface. North-Holland Amsterdam, 1980. 

The polarized Electrode-Electrolyte and the reversible Solid-Electrolyte Interface... 

A comparison with the reversible interface can be made. The reversible solid electrolyte interface can be used in a similar way to explore the distribution of charge components at solid-water interfaces. As we have seen, the surface charge density, o, (Eqs. (3.1) and (iii) in Example 2.1) can be readily determined experimentally (e.g., from an alkalimetric titration curve). The Lippmann equations can be used as with the polarized electrodes to obtain the differential capacity from... 

We shall use the familiar Gouy-Chapman model (3 ) to describe the behaviour of the diffuse double lpyer. According to this model the application of a potential iji at a planar solid/electrolyte interface will cause an accumulation of counter-ions and a depletion of co-ions in the electrolyte near the interface. The disposition of diffuse double layer implies that if the surface potential of the planar interface at a 1 1 electrolyte is t ) then its surface charge density will be given by ( 3)... 

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