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YSZ thin films with minimized grain boundary resistivity
Edmund M Mills1, Matthias Kleine-Boymann, Juergen Janek
1University of California Davis, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, 3001 Ghausi Hall, Davis California 95616, USA. chmkim@ucdavis.edu.
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP
|April 1, 2016
Summary
Thin films of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolytes show enhanced ionic conductivity when made thinner than 8 nm. This improvement is due to reduced grain boundary resistivity achieved by Mg(2+) diffusion from the substrate.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Solid-state Physics
Background:
- Interface engineering is crucial for enhancing ionic conductivity in solid electrolytes for fuel cells.
- Grain boundary resistivity in polycrystalline films limits ionic conductivity, a factor largely unexplored.
- Epitaxially grown thin films often show enhanced conductivity attributed to substrate interface effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the manipulation of grain boundary resistivity in polycrystalline yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thin films.
- To explore the relationship between film thickness and ionic conductivity in YSZ films grown on MgO.
- To determine the underlying mechanisms responsible for conductivity enhancement in ultra-thin YSZ films.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of YSZ thin films with nano-columnar grains on MgO substrates.
- Impedance spectroscopy to measure ionic conductivity and probe grain boundary resistivity.
- Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS) to analyze elemental diffusion.
Main Results:
- Ionic conductivity of YSZ thin films approached single-crystal values when film thickness was reduced below 8 nm.
- Grain boundary resistivity near the film-substrate interface and surface was significantly minimized.
- Mg(2+) diffusion from the MgO substrate into YSZ grain boundaries was confirmed, correlating with resistivity reduction.
Conclusions:
- Ultra-thin YSZ films exhibit significantly enhanced ionic conductivity due to minimized grain boundary resistivity.
- Grain boundary design via substrate-induced ion diffusion is a promising strategy for developing highly conductive solid electrolytes.
- This approach offers a pathway to improve solid oxide fuel cells and other electrochemical devices.
