Rare Earth Doped Ceria: The Complex Connection Between Structure and Properties.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Energy Science
• Solid-State Chemistry

Background:

• High efficiency energy solutions drive new material development.
• Rare earth doped ceria exhibits excellent oxygen diffusion above 500°C.
• This makes it suitable for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) and Solid Oxide Electrolytic Cells (SOEC).

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the role of defects in rare earth doped ceria.
• To highlight the importance of structure determination for material properties.
• To bridge theoretical calculations with experimental findings.

Main Methods:

• Review of experimental techniques (microscopy, spectroscopy, crystallography).
• Review of computational chemistry approaches.
• Analysis of structure-property relationships across different length scales.

Main Results:

• Defects are crucial for the ionic conduction in ceria-based materials.
• Ceria's fluorite structure readily accommodates high defect concentrations.
• Structure determination is pivotal for understanding and predicting material performance.

Conclusions:

• Rare earth doped ceria is a promising material for energy conversion and storage.
• Comprehensive characterization combining computational and experimental methods is essential.
• Controlling crystallographic, defect, and micro-structures optimizes material function.