Evaluating the Rate-determining Steps of Oxygen Permeation in Ba0.5La0.5FeO3-? Perovskite

Perovskite oxides obtained from Ba1-xLaxFeO3-delta (BLF) are considered beneficial materials for electrodes of solid oxide fuel cells and oxygen permeation membranes because of their high oxygen permeability, which is a criterion of oxide ion (O2-)-electronic mixed conductivity. In this paper, the prime focus was to understand the oxygen permeation mechanism through surface exchange and bulk diffusion of the Ba0.5- La0.5FeO3-delta (BLF55) sample. The permeated oxygen flux displayed higher than that of the typical mixed conductor La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-delta (LSCF), which was explored simultaneously with corresponding oxygen chemical potentials employing an especial experimental setup. This study found that the surface exchange reaction on the oxygen-lean side was the rate-determining step (RDS) of the oxygen permeation below 800 degrees C, resulting from lower hole concentration on the oxygen-lean side surface. Enhancing the charge transfer from the surface oxygen by increasing hole concentration is a prime important strategy to improve the surface exchange reaction.