Strontium conductivity

Strontium titanate [12060-59-2] SrTiO, becomes an n-ty e semiconductor when additional electrons are created on the Ti lattice sites by donor doping or when oxygen is removed from the material through heat treatment in a reducing atmosphere. The mobiUty of the electrons in the conduction band is about 6 crc] j(V-s). On the other hand, when ZnO is reduced, 2inc interstitials are formed and these act as donors, each yielding a free electron. 

The anode material in SOF(7s is a cermet (rnetal/cerarnic composite material) of 30 to 40 percent nickel in zirconia, and the cathode is lanthanum rnanganite doped with calcium oxide or strontium oxide. Both of these materials are porous and mixed ionic/electronic conductors. The bipolar separator typically is doped lanthanum chromite, but a metal can be used in cells operating below 1073 K (1472°F). The bipolar plate materials are dense and electronically conductive. 

The superconducting oxides include both perovskites and Ruddlesden-Popper compounds which have an orthorhombic arrangement of cubic cells, alternatively of the perovskite and sodium chloride structures. The common feature of all of these is the presence of copper as a major component. The first ceramic superconductor was a lanthanum-strontium substituted cuprate (Lai Sr Cu04 z), which is a perovskite, but subsequently the inter-oxide compound Y203 2BaO 3CuO, commonly referred to as a 123 compound, was shown to have superior performance. The speculation concerning the conduction mechanism is that this involves either Cu3+-Cu2+ positive hole... 

LaMn03 is an intrinsic p-type conductor. Electronic conductivity is enhanced by substitution of the La3+ site with divalent ions such as strontium or calcium. Of the alkaline-earth dopants, Sr substitution is preferred for SOLC applications because the resultant perovskite forms stable compounds with high conductivity in the oxidizing atmosphere found at the cathode [41], Extensive data show that La, xSi. MnO where x = 0.1 - 0.2, provides high conductivity while maintaining mechanical and chemical stability with YSZ [41, 42],... 

Lanthanum chromite is a p-type conductor so divalent ions, which act as electron acceptors on the trivalent (La3+ or Cr3+) sites, are used to increase the conductivity. As discussed above, the most common dopants are calcium and strontium on the lanthanum site. Although there is considerable scatter in the conductivities reported by different researchers due to differences in microstrucure and morpohology, the increase in conductivity with calcium doping is typically higher than that with strontium doping [4], The increase in conductivity at 700°C in air with calcium additions is shown in Figure 4.1 [1, 2, 28-44], One of the advantages of the perovskite structure is that it... 

Webb JB, Sayer M, and Mansingh A. Polaronic conduction in lanthanum strontium chromite. Can. J. Phys. 1977 55 1725-1731. 

To meet the requirements for electronic conductivity in both the SOFC anode and cathode, a metallic electronic conductor, usually nickel, is typically used in the anode, and a conductive perovskite, such as lanthanum strontium manganite (LSM), is typically used in the cathode. Because the electrochemical reactions in fuel cell electrodes can only occur at surfaces where electronic and ionically conductive phases and the gas phase are in contact with each other (Figure 6.1), it is common... 

Proton conduction at high temperatures occurs in certain perovskites such as doped strontium cerate, Sr Ceo.95Ybo.o503 t. In air, this material is primarily an electronic conductor due to the mixed valence of Ce. In the presence of moisture, water is absorbed by the reaction with positive holes to generate protons ... 

Studies are being conducted by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to investigate the use of clinoptilolite as an in situ permeable barrier to strontium (Sr °) migration in groundwater at the site referred to as the 100-N area of the Hanford Site. This technology uses clinoptilolite to absorb radioactive Sr ° from groundwater. 

For some applications, such as the cathode materials in solid oxide fuel cells (see Section 5.4.4), a material is needed that can conduct both ions and electrons. The strontium-doped perovskites LaMn03 (LSM), and LaCr03 (LSC) have both these properties. 

The cathode materials used have to conduct both oxide ions and electrons satisfactorily, but, in addition, for compatibility, they must have similar thermal expansion coefficients as the electrolyte. The strontium-doped perovskite, LSM (see Section 5.4.2), is one of the materials of choice. 

---