Proton motions in hydrated proton conducting perovskites BaZr0.9A0.10O2.95 (A = Y and Sc) have been investigated using quasielastic neutron scattering. The results reveal a localized motion on the ps time scale and with an activation energy of ∼10-30 meV, in both materials. The temperature dependence of the total mean square displacement of the protons suggests an onset of this motion at a temperature of about 300 K. Comparison of the QENS results to density functional theory calculations suggests that for both materials this motion can be ascribed to intra-octahedral proton transfers occurring close to a dopant atom. The low activation energy, more than ten times lower than the activation energy for the macroscopic proton conductivity, suggests that this motion is not the rate-limiting process for the long-range proton diffusion, i.e. it is not linked to the two materials significantly different proton conductivities.
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