Understanding materials compatibility

The use of chemical potential diagrams to examine interface chemistry is discussed in terms of the chemical reactions among oxides and associated interdiffusion across the interface. The driving force for both processes can be determined from the chemical potential values. The geometrical features of the chemical potential diagrams can be related to the valence stability of binary oxides and the stabilization energy of double oxides from the constituent oxides. The materials compatibility in solid oxide fuel cell materials is discussed with a focus on a lanthanum manganite cathode and a yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte. Emphasis is placed on the valence numbers of manganese in the fluorite solid solution and the perovskite oxides, which have been derived by thermodynamic analysis of the magnitude of the stabilization energy/interaction parameters as a function of ionic size for respective valence numbers. The change of manganese valence on La2Zr2O7 formation and Mn dissolution in YSZ are discussed in relation with the oxygen evolution/adsorption process. Oxygen flow associated with electrochemical reactions exhibits markedly different features depending on the direction of the polarization, which can lead to drastic changes in the interface chemistry (precipitation or interdiffusion).