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Updated: May 15, 2026
07:13
High Temperature Fabrication of Nanostructured Yttria-Stabilized-Zirconia (YSZ) Scaffolds by In Situ Carbon Templating Xerogels
Published on: April 16, 2017
Oxygen tracer diffusion along interfaces of strained Y2O3/YSZ multilayers.
Halit Aydin1, Carsten Korte, Marcus Rohnke
1Physikalisch-Chemisches Institut, Justus-Liebig Universität Gießen, Germany.
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP
|December 22, 2012
Summary
Heterophase boundaries in yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) multilayers significantly enhance oxygen diffusion. Decreasing layer thickness boosts the diffusion coefficient, highlighting the role of interfaces in solid electrolytes.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Solid-state Chemistry
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Heterophase boundaries in solid electrolytes can act as fast transport pathways.
- Enhanced ionic conductivity has been observed in micro-/nanoscaled yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) composites and hetero multilayers.
- Strain and microstructural changes at heterophase boundaries are hypothesized to drive conductivity effects, as space charge regions are negligible.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of heterophase boundaries in strained solid electrolytes for fast oxygen transport.
- To obtain independent information on interface transport phenomena.
- To correlate oxygen diffusion with microstructural variations in YSZ/Y2O3 multilayers.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of nanoscaled YSZ/Y2O3 multilayers using Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) on Al2O3 substrates.
- Characterization using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), High-Resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy (HRSEM), and Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS).
- Systematic variation of YSZ layer thickness (45 nm to 12 nm) to differentiate interface and bulk transport.
Main Results:
- Oxygen tracer diffusion coefficient was measured in YSZ/Y2O3 multilayers.
- The total diffusion coefficient increased by a factor of 2 compared to bulk YSZ as YSZ layer thickness decreased.
- Results align with previous ionic conductivity studies and suggest minimal electronic conductivity.
Conclusions:
- Heterophase boundaries in YSZ/Y2O3 multilayers significantly enhance oxygen transport.
- Interface transport is a dominant factor in the observed diffusivity enhancements.
- The study provides crucial insights into optimizing solid electrolyte performance through nanostructure engineering.
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