Single-atom catalysts with full utilization of metal centers can bridge the gap between molecular and solid-state catalysis. Metal-nitrogen-carbon materials prepared via pyrolysis are promising single-atom catalysts but often also comprise metallic particles. Here, we pyrolytically synthesize a Co–N–C material only comprising atomically dispersed cobalt ions and identify with X-ray absorption spectroscopy, magnetic susceptibility measurements and density functional theory the structure and electronic state of three porphyrinic moieties, CoN4C12, CoN3C10,porp and CoN2C5. The O2 electro-reduction and operando X-ray absorption response are measured in acidic medium on Co–N–C and compared to those of a Fe–N–C catalyst prepared similarly. We show that cobalt moieties are unmodified from 0.0 to 1.0 V versus a reversible hydrogen electrode, while Fe-based moieties experience structural and electronic-state changes. On the basis of density functional theory analysis and established relationships between redox potential and O2-adsorption strength, we conclude that cobalt-based moieties bind O2 too weakly for efficient O2 reduction.

No abstract

Processing-structure-oxygen surface exchange kinetics relationships in perovskite (Sr,Ti)FeO3−x were clarified by non-contact optical transmission relaxation, with kinetics optimized upon crystallization.

No abstract

The oxygen surface exchange kinetics of mixed ionic and electronic conducting oxides (MIECs) play a critical role in the efficiency of intermediate-to-high-temperature electrochemical devices. Although there is increasing interest in low-temperature preparation of MIEC thin films, the impact of the resultant varied degrees of crystallinity on the surface exchange kinetics has not been widely investigated. Here, we probe the effect of crystallization on oxygen surface exchange kinetics in situ, by applying an optical transmission relaxation (OTR) approach during annealing of amorphous films. OTR enables contact-free, in situ, and continuous quantification of the oxygen surface exchange coefficient (k chem ); we previously applied it to Pr x Ce 1−x O 2−δ and SrTi 1−x Fe x O 3−δ thin films. In this work, the OTR approach was successfully extended to other mixed conducting thin film compositions for the first time (i.e., perovskite SrTi 0.65 Co 0.35 O 3−δ and Ruddlesden−Popper Sr 2 Ti 0.65 Fe 0.35 O 4±δ ), as well as to Pr 0.1 Ce 0.9 O 2−δ , enabling quantification of the k chem of their native surfaces and comparison of the behavior of films with different final crystal structures. All thin films were prepared by pulsed laser deposition at 25 or 700−800 °C and subject to subsequent thermal treatments with simultaneous OTR monitoring of k chem . The surface roughness, grain size, and crystallinity were evaluated by scanning probe microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Fluorite Pr 0.1 Ce 0.9 O 2−δ films grown at 25 °C did not exhibit an increase in k chem after annealing, as they were already crystalline as grown at 25 °C. For all other compositions, OTR enabled in situ observation of both the crystallization process and the emergence of rapid surface exchange kinetics immediately upon crystallization. Perovskite SrTi 0.65 Co 0.35 O 3-δ and Ruddlesden−Popper Sr 2 Ti 0.65 Fe 0.35 O 4±δ thin films grown at 25 °C exhibited at least 1−2 orders of magnitude enhanced k chem after annealing compared with highly crystalline thin films grown at 800 °C, indicating the benefits of in situ crystallization.

Enhanced conductivity in YSZ films has been of substantial interest over the last decade. In this paper we examine the effects of substrate lattice mismatch and film thickness on the strain in YSZ films and the resultant effect on the conductivity. 8 mol% YSZ films have been grown on MgO, AlO, LAO and NGO substrates, thereby controlling the lattice mismatch at the film/substrate interface. The thickness of the films was varied to probe the interfacial contribution to the transport properties, as measured by impedance spectroscopy and tracer diffusion. No enhancement in the transport properties of any of the films was found over single crystal values, and instead the effects of lattice strain were found to be minimal. The interfaces of all films were more resistive due to a heterogeneous distribution of grain boundaries, and no evidence for enhanced transport down dislocations was found.

Multilayered heterostructures of CeSmO and YZrO of a high crystallographic quality were fabricated on (001)-oriented MgO single crystal substrates. Keeping the total thickness of the heterostructures constant, the number of ceria-zirconia bilayers was increased while reducing the thickness of each layer. At each interface Ce was found primarily in the reduced, 3+ oxidation state in a layer extending about 2 nm from the interface. Concurrently, the conductivity decreased as the thickness of the layers was reduced, suggesting a progressive confinement of the charge transport along the YSZ layers. The comparative analysis of the in-plane electrical characterization suggests that the contribution to the total electrical conductivity of these interfacial regions is negligible. For the smallest layer thickness of 2 nm the doped ceria layers are electrically insulating and the ionic transport only occurs through the zirconia layers. This is explained in terms of a reduced mobility of the oxygen vacancies in the highly reduced ceria.

The properties of single-crystal SrTiO3 substrates and homoepitaxial SrTiO3 films grown by pulsed laser deposition have been compared, in order to understand the loss of interfacial conductivity when more than a critical thickness of nominally homoepitaxial SrTiO3 is inserted between a LaAlO3 film and a SrTiO3 substrate. In particular, the chemical composition and the structure of homoepitaxial SrTiO3 investigated by low-energy ion-scattering and surface X-ray diffraction show that for insulating heterointerfaces, a Sr-excess is present between the LaAlO3 and homoepitaxial SrTiO3. Furthermore, an increase in the out-of-plane lattice constant is observed in LaAlO3, indicating that the conductivity both with and without insertion of the SrTiO3 thin film originates from a Zener breakdown associated with the polar catastrophe. When more than a critical thickness of homoepitaxial SrTiO3 is inserted between LaAlO3 and SrTiO3, the electrons transferred by the electronic reconstruction are trapped by the formation of a Sr-rich secondary phase and Sr-vacancies. The migration of Sr towards the surface of homoepitaxial SrTiO3 and accompanying loss of interfacial conductivity can be delayed by reducing the Sr-content in the PLD target.