Materials design for ceramic oxygen permeation membranes : single perovskite vs. single/double perovskite composite, a case study of tungsten-doped barium strontium cobalt ferrite

• Main Authors: Zhang, Junxing, Zhang, Zhenbao, Chen, Yubo, Xu, Xiaomin, Zhou, Chuan, Yang, Guangming, Zhou, Wei, Shao, Zongping
• Other Authors: School of Materials Science & Engineering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Engineering::Materials; Oxygen Permeation Membrane; Perovskite Oxides
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/139171
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Pure oxygen is an important raw material with many important applications. The production of oxygen via a conducting ceramic membrane is a new, cost-effective and advanced technology with the advantage of continuous oxygen production. The perovskite-type mixed-conducting oxide Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3-δ (BSCF) exhibits superb oxygen permeability, yet it suffers from poor phase stability. In this study, we aim to improve the operational stability of the BSCF membrane by introducing a high-valence W6+ ion as a B-site dopant. Its effect on the phase composition, structure, structural stability, electrical conductivity, oxygen transfer rate and oxygen permeability as a membrane is systematically investigated. Upon the partial substitution of cobalt and iron in the W6+-doped BSCF, single/double perovskite composites are formed instead of single perovskite composites. Remarkably, the formation of the single/double perovskite composites enhances the oxygen permeation stability without obviously compromising the oxygen permeability. Among the various materials, the composite with the nominal composition of Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.1W0.1O3-δ shows the best performance in terms of stability and oxygen permeability. These findings thus introduce a new way to design conducting ceramic membranes for oxygen separation at high temperatures.