Elucidating the influence of molten salt chemistries on the synthesis and stability of perovskites oxides.

In this work, we investigate the synthesis of (LaSr)MnO (LSM) in various molten salts to gain insight on the influence of molten salt ions for synthesizing materials critical for energy applications. LSM nanoparticles with a size range of ∼10-200 nm and with target stoichiometries were formed from oxide precursors feeding into KNO. Furthermore, feeding precursors into the melt compared to mixing and heating from room temperature results in complete formation of LSM that was otherwise unattainable using conventional molten salt synthesis methods.

Volatilized Molten Salts: An Alternative Avenue for Synthesizing Single-Phase Perovskites.

Single-phase LaSrMnO (LSM) has been synthesized using a volatilized molten salt synthesis (vMSS) method for the first time with a LiCl-KCl eutectic with diameters of up to 300 nm, with the majority ranging from 50 to 100 nm. While deleterious to LSM formation when the MSS takes place in the liquid phase, a LiCl-KCl eutectic successfully facilitates LSM formation when volatilized. Specifically, KCl evaporates more readily than LiCl and promotes the formation of LSM via the vapor phase.

Effect of Sr Content and Strain on Sr Surface Segregation of LaSrCoFeO as Cathode Material for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells.

Strontium-doped lanthanum cobalt ferrite (LSCF) is a widely used cathode material due to its high electronic and ionic conductivity, and reasonable oxygen surface exchange coefficient. However, LSCF can have long-term stability issues such as surface segregation of Sr during solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) operation, which can adversely affect the electrochemical performance. Thus, understanding the nature of the Sr surface segregation phenomenon and how it is affected by the composition of LSCF and strain are critical.