Editor's Summary
2 February 2006
Ion out the defects
The search for electrochemically active oxides for use in fuel cell anodes has concentrated on materials with low defect concentrations. This is because at high concentrations, interaction between defects can limit the device's performance, a problem that could exclude some technologically important materials from consideration. A new approach, based on the disruption of the extended defect structure in a lanthanum-doped strontium oxide, provides an alternative route to electrochemical efficiency. The new material achieves impressive device performance and has the potential to lead to more efficient energy extraction by fuel cells from fossil- and carbon-neutral fuels.
Letter: Disruption of extended defects in solid oxide fuel cell anodes for methane oxidation
Juan Carlos Ruiz-Morales, Jesús Canales-Vázquez, Cristian Savaniu, David Marrero-López, Wuzong Zhou and John T. S. Irvine
doi:10.1038/nature04438