A team led by Prof. Masatomo Yashima of Tokyo Institute of Technology (Japan) and Prof. John A. Kilner of Imperial College London (UK) has successfully visualized the oxygen diffusion pathway in an excellent oxide-ion and electronic mixed conductor, layered perovskite-type cobaltite PrBaCo2O5+δ. The present work demonstrates a new concept in the material design for high oxide-ion conduction and this can lead to the development of new ionic conductors for better solid oxide fuel cells and oxygen concentrators. The results were published in an international journal, Chem. Mater. Vol. 25, pp.2638-2641 (2013).
The experiments were performed using the neutron powder diffractometer, HERMES, of Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University (Instrument Scientist of HERMES: Associate Professor Kenji Ohoyama) installed at the nuclear research reactor JRR-3 in Japan Atomic Energy Agency.
More information (Japanese)：http://www.tohoku.ac.jp/japanese/newimg/pressimg/tohokuuniv-press_20130625_01.pdf[PDF:1.24MB]