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The solid-state synthesis and structural characterisation of perovskite BaSn1−xScxO3−δ (x = 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4) and its corresponding hydrated ceramics are reported. Powder and neutron X-ray diffractions reveal the presence of cubic perovskites (space group Pmm) with an increasing cell parameter as a function of scandium concentration along with some indication of phase segregation. 119Sn and 45Sc solid-state NMR spectroscopy data highlight the existence of oxygen vacancies in the dry materials, and their filling upon hydrothermal treatment with D2O. It also indicates that the Sn4+ and Sc3+ local distribution at the B-site of the perovskite is inhomogeneous and suggests that the oxygen vacancies are located in the scandium dopant coordination shell at low concentrations (x ≤ 0.2) and in the tin coordination shell at high concentrations (x ≥ 0.3). 17O NMR spectra on 17O enriched BaSn1−xScxO3−δ materials show the existence of Sn–O–Sn, Sn–O–Sc and Sc–O–Sc bridging oxygen environments. A further room temperature neutron powder diffraction study on deuterated BaSn0.6Sc0.4O3−δ refines the deuteron position at the 24k crystallographic site (x, y, 0) with x = 0.579(3) and y = 0.217(3) which leads to an O–D bond distance of 0.96(1) A and suggests tilting of the proton towards the next nearest oxygen. Proton conduction was found to dominate in wet argon below 700 °C with total conductivity values in the range 1.8 × 10−4 to 1.1 × 10−3 S cm−1 between 300 and 600 °C. Electron holes govern the conduction process in dry oxidizing conditions, whilst in wet oxygen they compete with protonic defects leading to a wide mixed conduction region in the 200 to 600 °C temperature region, and a suppression of the conductivity at higher temperature.

In situ neutron diffraction experiments of 2% Ca-doped and nominally undoped lanthanum tungstate (La28-xW4+xO54+3x/2, with x = 0.85) have been carried out under controlled pD(2)O and pO(2) at elevated temperatures. All the diffraction patterns could be refined using an average cubic fluorite-related structure, in accordance with recent reports. The material exhibits disorder of the oxygen and the cation sublattices. Splitting of the oxygen sites around tungsten from the 32f to 96k Wyckoff position in the Fm (3) over barm space group improves the model and can better represent the oxygen disorder. No phase transition was detected from room temperature up to 800 degrees C under any of the studied conditions. Expansion of the unit cell constants in the presence of water at intermediate and low temperatures was correlated with the formation of protonic defects. The thermal expansion coefficient for lanthanum tungstate is rather linear under all studied conditions (similar to 11 x 10(-6) K-1). The in situ diffraction studies are correlated with dilatometry investigations and conductivity measurements.

The structural properties of the system Y-2(Ti1-xZrx)(2)O-7 have been investigated using the neutron powder diffraction technique, including a detailed analysis of the "total scattering" using reverse Monte Carlo modeling to probe the short-range ion-ion correlations over sample range 0.0

An impedance spectroscopy cell and humidifier system has been developed to study the ion conducting properties and hydration/dehydration reactions in-situ during neutron powder diffraction experiments. As a model system, acceptor doped barium zirconate, BaZr0.5In0.5O2.75, has been studied during in-situ hydration and dehydration. Rietveld refinement of the collected data shows an increase in lattice parameter, a, upon hydration of BaZr0.5In0.5O2.75. In addition, we show the existence of a two-phase region, containing deuterated and non-deuterated barium zirconate, in the temperature interval ~ 573 K to ~ 873 K. Impedance spectroscopy data collected in-situ on heating and cooling and the corresponding ionic conductivity agree well with the change in deuteron content, as determined from neutron diffraction as a function of temperature. The newly developed in-situ cells make it possible to correlate conducting properties to structural changes under identical conditions and will have applicability to many other proton conducting solids.

The structural properties of the binary alkaline-earth halides SrCl(2), SrBr(2), BaCl(2) and BaBr(2) have been investigated from ambient temperature up to close to their melting points, using the neutron powder diffraction technique. Fluorite-structured SrCl(2) undergoes a gradual transition to a superionic phase at 900-1100 K, characterised by an increasing concentration of anion Frenkel defects. At a temperature of 920(3) K, the tetragonal phase of SrBr(2) undergoes a first-order transition to a cubic fluorite phase. This high temperature phase shows the presence of extensive disorder within the anion sublattice, which differs from that found in superionic SrCl(2), BaCl(2) and BaBr(2) both adopt the cotunnite crystal structure under ambient conditions. BaCl(2) undergoes a first-order structural transition at 917(5) K to a disordered fluorite-structured phase. The relationship between the (disordered) crystal structures and the ionic conductivity behaviour is discussed and the influence of the size of the mobile anion on the superionic behaviour is explored.

The influence of local ordering of the anion vacancies and cation-anion vacancy interactions on the ionic conductivity of the anion-deficient fluorite Zr0.8Sc0.2-xYxO1.9 (0.0 ≥ x ≥ 0.2) system have been investigated using impedance spectroscopy, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) analysis of neutron powder diffraction data. At 1000 K, the ionic conductivity decreases by a factor of ∼2 as x increases from 0.0 to 0.2, while the oxygen anion partial radial distribution function, gOO(r), remains similar across the entire solid solution, even though the cation-oxygen interactions change with increasing Y2O3 content. These experimental data are used to validate the MD simulations, which probe the details of the vacancy-vacancy interactions within the x = 0.0 and x = 0.2 end members. Both possess similar vacancy-vacancy ordering that favors the formation of pairs along 〈111〉 directions. Significantly, an increased proportion of the oxygen vacancies are associated with the Zr4+ cations in Zr 0.8Y0.2O1.9, while in Zr0.8Sc 0.2O1.9 they show no significant preference for being nearest neighbor to a Sc3+ or a Zr4+ cation. Thus, it is concluded that the lower ionic conductivity at x = 0.2 is predominantly a consequence of the larger size of the Y3+ cation, which induces strain in the lattice and hinders diffusion of the O2-, rather than changes in the local ordering of the anion vacancies. © 2011 American Chemical Society.

The structural properties of anion deficient ceria, CeO2-delta, have been studied as a function of oxygen partial pressure, p(O-2), over the range 0 >= log(10)p(O-2) >= -18.9 at 1273(2) K using the neutron powder diffraction technique. Rietveld refinement of the diffraction data collected on decreasing p(O-2) showed increases in the cubic lattice parameter, a, the oxygen nonstoichiometry, delta, and the isotropic thermal vibration parameters, u(Ce) and u(O), starting at log(10)p(O-2)similar to-11. The increases are continuous, but show a distinct kink at log(10)p(O-2)similar to-14.5. Analysis of the total scattering (Bragg plus diffuse components) using reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) modelling indicates that the O2- vacancies preferentially align as pairs in the cubic directions as the degree of nonstoichiometry increases. This behaviour is discussed with reference to the chemical crystallography of the CeO2-Ce2O3 system at ambient temperature and, in particular, to the nature of the long-range ordering of O2- vacancies within the crystal structure of Ce7O12. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Proton motions in hydrated proton conducting perovskites BaZr(0.90)A(0.10)O(2.95) (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 similar to 10-30 meV, in both materials. The temperature dependence of the total mean square displacement of the protons shows an onset of this motion at a temperature of about 300 K. The low activation energy, much 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. In fact, a comparison of the QENS results with density functional theory calculations indicates that for both materials the observed motion may be ascribed to intra-octahedral proton transfers occurring close to a dopant atom. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Two different preparative routes, one a wet chemical route (WCR) and the other a traditional solid state sintering route (SSR), have been used to synthesise the oxygen deficient perovskite BaZr0.5In0.5O3-delta. Analysis of X-ray powder diffraction data showed that both phases adopt cubic crystal structures. Environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) images showed that a smaller grain size was obtained for the WCR sample. Dynamic then-no-gravimetric analysis indicated significant mass losses for hydrated samples compared to their respective dried samples. Proton conductivity was investigated for hydrated and as-prepared phases under dry and wet atmospheres, respectively. The hydrated sample prepared via the solid state sintering route displayed a higher proton conductivity under dry conditions, reflecting the presence of fewer grain boundaries in this sample. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

High-resolution neutron powder diffraction data have been collected on deuterated and dried samples of the perovskite BaZr0.5In0.5O2.75 at 5 K and room temperature, respectively. Inspection of Fourier nuclear density maps for the deuterated phase have allowed the deuteron position to be refined on a 12h (1/2, y, 0) crystallographic site, with y = 0.217(4) yielding a chemically reasonable O-D distance of 0.92(2) angstrom. Evidence for anisotropy of the deuteron position is also found consistent with a 24k crystallographic site (0.56, 0.21, 0) indicative of displacements of the ion towards neighbouring oxygen ions. The presence of static oxygen disorder in both the dried and deuterated samples is apparent from the structural analyses. Raman spectra confirm short range deviations from cubic symmetry for both dried and hydrated samples.

Traditional solid state sintering has been used to prepare the perovskite BaZr0.9Yb0.1O3-delta. Analysis of X-ray powder diffraction data shows that an increase of the unit cell parameter, a, was observed compared to undoped BaZrO3. Rietveld analysis of room temperature neutron powder diffraction data confirmed cubic symmetry (space group Pm-3m). Dynamic thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicates that the hydration process occurs below 200 degrees C. The strong O-H stretch band, 2500-3500 cm(-1), in the infrared absorbance spectrum clearly manifests the presence of protons in the hydrated material. Proton conductivity was investigated on hydrated and as-prepared samples under dry and wet atmospheres, respectively. Keywords: X-ray diffraction; neutron diffraction; Rietveld refinement; proton conductor; perovskite

The proton conductivity and structural features of In3+ substituted BaZrO3 samples, i.e., BaZr1−xInxO3−δ, were investigated. Rietveld analysis of low temperature (10 K) neutron powder diffraction data collected on as-prepared and deuterated samples confirmed cubic symmetry (space group Pm-3m) for all compositions. The level of oxygen vacancies refined in the as-prepared samples were in good agreement with the values expected to conserve charge neutrality, whilst an increase in oxygen occupancy, reflecting the incorporation of OD− species, was obtained for the deuterated materials. An expansion of the unit cell parameter, a, was observed as a function of In3+ doping as well as after the deuteration reaction. The conductivity of pre-hydrated and dry samples was measured using impedance methods. For 25% In-doped BaZrO3, the low T (300 °C) conductivity of the heating cycle of the dried sample was greater than that of the cooling cycle of the pre-hydrated sample indicating a greater number of protons in the nominally dry sample. In contrast, the conductivity values were similar at higher temperatures e.g. T > 500 °C where proton conduction is not dominant.

Solid state sintering has been used to prepare the cubic perovskite structured compounds BaZr1−xInxO3−δ (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.75). Analysis of X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) data reveals that the unit cell parameter, a, increases linearly with an increased Indium concentration. XRPD data was also used to demonstrate the completion of sample hydration, which was reached when the materials showed a set of single-phase Bragg-peaks. Dynamic thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data showed that approx. 89% of the total number of available oxygen vacancies can be filled in BaZr1−xInxO3−δ for x = 0.50, and that the maximum water uptake occurs below 300 °C. Rietveld analysis of the room temperature neutron powder diffraction (NPD) data confirmed the average cubic symmetry (space group Pm-3m), and an expansion of the unit cell parameter after the hydration reaction. The strong O–H stretch band, 2500–3500 cm− 1, in the infrared absorbance spectrum clearly manifests the presence of protons in the hydrated material. Proton conductivity of hydrated BaZr1−xInxO3−δ, x = 0.75 was investigated during heating and cooling cycles under dry argon atmosphere. The total conductivity during the heating cycle was nearly two orders of magnitude greater than that of cooling cycle at 300 °C, whilst these values were similar at higher temperatures i.e. T > 600 °C.

The structural properties of the system Y-2(Ti1-xZrx)(2)O-7 have been investigated using the neutron powder diffraction technique, including a detailed analysis of the "total scattering" using reverse Monte Carlo modeling to probe the short-range ion-ion correlations over sample range 0.0

The nature of $\mathrm{O}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{H}$ wag vibrations in the cubic proton conducting perovskite-type oxides, ${\mathrm{BaIn}}_{x}{\mathrm{Zr}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{O}}_{3\ensuremath{-}x∕2}$ $(x=0.20--0.75)$ have been investigated by means of inelastic neutron scattering. Our spectroscopic results show that the $\mathrm{O}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{H}$ wag vibrations are manifested as a broad band between 600 and $1300\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. With increasing In concentration, the $\mathrm{O}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{H}$ wag band increases in intensity and broadens with an increased weight of the high frequency part. The intensity increase of the $\mathrm{O}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{H}$ wag band is a result of the increasing concentration of protons in the perovskite structure while the increased weight of the high frequency part results from an increased fraction of protons in strongly hydrogen bonding configurations. Such strongly hydrogen bonding configurations of the proton is primarily a result of the presence of oxygen vacancies and dopant atoms, which act as charged defects, but also of local structural distortions caused by the introduction of dopant atoms. From the temperature dependence of the $\mathrm{O}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{H}$ wag band we find that the mean square displacement of the protons increases only slightly as the temperature is raised from 30 to $300\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$, which implies that it is unlikely that the protons undergo long-range diffusion for temperatures below $300\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$. Comparing the In concentration dependence of different components of the $\mathrm{O}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{H}$ wag band with the proton conductivity of the reported compositions indicates that protons in weak or intermediate hydrogen bonding configurations are likely the main charge carriers.