Proton transport enabled by a field-induced metallic state in a semiconductor heterostructure

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Title：Proton transport enabled by a field-induced metallic state in a semiconductor heterostructure
Author：Y. Wu1,*, View ORCID ProfileB. Zhu1,2,*,†, View ORCID ProfileM. Huang3,*, View ORCID ProfileL. Liu1,
Abstract：Tuning a semiconductor to function as a fast proton conductor is an emerging strategy in the rapidly developing field of proton ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs). The key challenge for PCFC researchers is to formulate the proton-conducting electrolyte with conductivity above 0.1 siemens per centimeter at low temperatures (300 to 600°C). Here we present a methodology to design an enhanced proton conductor by means of a NaxCoO2/CeO2 semiconductor heterostructure, in which a field-induced metallic state at the interface accelerates proton transport. We developed a PCFC with an ionic conductivity of 0.30 siemens per centimeter and a power output of 1 watt per square centimeter at 520°C. Through our semiconductor heterostructure approach, our results provide insight into the proton transport mechanism, which may also improve ionic transport in other energy applications.
Source：Science
Post：2020-07-14 15:49:30

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