Surface Composition and Oxygen Transport Properties of LSCF: From Bulk Ceramics to Devices

Although the oxygen surface exchange reactions are of utmost importance for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells and Solid Oxide Electrolyser operation and performance, these reactions are rather poorly understood. One part of the puzzle is understanding the composition of the surfaces and interfaces participating in the reactions. Ion beam techniques constitute powerful probes of the surface composition, as well as the oxygen transport properties. Here, we use the well-known mixed conducting perovskite LSCF to illustrate how ion beam techniques such as secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and low energy ion scattering (LEIS) can be used to study fundamental materials properties such as oxygen tracer diffusion and strontium segregation, as well as segregation and impurity migration processes in model electrode structures.