A revolutionary super lattice material that was developed by researchers in Madrid, Spain, may lead to the production of super efficient solid oxide fuel cells, according to scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
The material boosts ionic conductivity by a factor of nearly 100 million at room temperature.
Solid oxide fuel cells demand “ion conducting materials — solid electrolytes — that allow oxygen ions to travel from cathode to anode. However, existing materials have not provided atom-scale voids large enough to easily accommodate the path of a conducted ion, which is much bigger than, for example, an electron,” says a lab news release.
The problem is solved by the super lattice by combining two substances with different crystal structures, the news release says, adding that this “mismatch triggers distortion of the atomic arrangements at their interface and creates a pathway through which ions can easily travel.”