Séminaire LMGP - 08/12/2015 - Dr Dolors Pla

Abstract

Recent advances in thin film deposition techniques allow fabricating nanostructured materials. Control over these nanostructures can lead to new and tailored properties like enhanced ionic and/or electronic conductivity. Therefore, the capability of implementing nanomaterials in thin film form in solid-state ionic devices (such as micro-solid oxide fuel cells, memristors or electrochemical gas sensors) will allow their miniaturization and eventually new functionalities based on specific features arising at the nanoscale. In this talk, functional ceramic thin films for micro-solid oxide fuel cells will be presented including Y₂O₃-ZrO₂ as electrolyte, and La_0.6Sr_0.4CoO_3‐δ, and Ce_0.8Gd_0.2O_1.9‐δ as electrodes. Finite Element Methods (FEM) is a versatile and powerful tool that can be used for in-depth analysis of these nanostructures; e.g. defect formation, transport processes and reactions at nanoscale. Basic principles of FEM and its applicability in nanoionics will be introduced, as example the use of simulations combined with oxygen tracer gas exchange experiments to obtain insights into the oxygen diffusion properties of La_0.8Sr_0.2MnO_3+δ.