Formation of 6H-Ba₃Ce_0.75Mn_2.25O₉ during Thermochemical Reduction of 12R-Ba₄CeMn₃O₁₂: Identification of a Polytype in...

The resurgence of interest in a hydrogen economy and the development of hydrogen-related technologies has initiated numerous research and development efforts aimed at making the generation, storage, and transportation of hydrogen more efficient and affordable. Solar thermochemical hydrogen production (STCH) is a process that potentially exhibits numerous benefits such as high reaction efficiencies, tunable thermodynamics, and continued performance over extended cycling. Although CeO₂ has been the de facto standard STCH material for many years, more recently 12R-Ba₄CeMn₃O₁₂ (BCM) has demonstrated enhanced hydrogen production at intermediate H₂/H₂O conditions compared to CeO₂, making it a contender for large-scale hydrogen production. However, the thermo-reduction stability of 12R-BCM dictates the oxygen partial pressure (pO₂) and temperature conditions optimal for cycling. In this study, we identify the formation of a 6H-BCM polytype at high temperature and reducing conditions, experimentally and computationally, as a mechanism and pathway for 12R-BCM decomposition. 12R-BCM was synthesized with high purity and then controllably reduced using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) data is used to identify the formation of a 6H-Ba₃Ce_0.75Mn_2.25O₉ (6H-BCM) polytype that is formed at 1350 °C under strongly reducing pO₂. Density functional theory (DFT) total energy and defect calculations show a window of thermodynamic stability for the 6H-polytype consistent with the XRD results. These data provide the first evidence of the 6H-BCM polytype and could provide a mechanistic explanation for the superior water-splitting behaviors of 12R-BCM.