A Fe/Nb co-doped Sr(Co0.8Fe0.1Nb0.1)O3-δ perovskite oxide for air separation: Structural, sintering and oxygen permeating properties

The novel Fe/Nb co-doped Sr(Co0.8Fe0.1Nb0.1)O3-delta oxide was synthesized by the solid-state reaction method. Structural and sintering properties of the Sr(Co0.8Fe0.1Nb0.1)O3-delta oxide/ceramic were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The oxygen permeation flux of the Sr (Co0.8Fe0.1Nb0.1)O3-delta membrane was measured to be 1.80 ml min(-1) cm(-2) under an air/helium gradient at 950 degrees C, and the membrane also shows good oxygen permeation stability. The results demonstrate that the structural stability of the Fe/Nb co-doped Sr(Co0.8Fe0.1Nb0.1)O3-delta oxide is improved significantly compared to those of the Sr(Co0.8Fe0.2)O3-delta and (Ba0.5Sr0.5)(Co0.8Fe0.2)O3-delta oxides. The incorporation of the Fe/Nb cations in the SrCoO3-delta oxide result in the improved stability of Sr(Co0.8Fe0.1Nb0.1)O3-delta. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.