Proton conduction in rare-earth ortho-niobates and ortho-tantalates

Some oxides contain sufficient equilibrium concentrations of protons in wet atmospheres to show useful proton conduction at elevated temperatures(1). As an example, Y-doped BaCeO3 has shown promising performance as a thin-film electrolyte in fuel cells at intermediate temperatures (400- 600 degrees C)(2). In contrast to proton-conducting polymers ( for example, Nafion( R)) and acid salts ( for example, CsHSO4), such oxidic ceramics are stable at sufficiently elevated temperatures that electrode kinetics are fast and insensitive to poisoning, but they tend to be basic (Ba-based or Sr-based) compounds with poor chemical and mechanical stability(3). In search of more stable proton-conducting materials, we have investigated several acceptor-doped rare-earth ortho-niobates and ortho-tantalates, RE(1-x)A(x)MO(4) (M = Nb, Ta). We show that this class of materials shows mixed protonic, native ionic and electronic conduction depending on conditions. Both the low-temperature monoclinic and high-temperature tetragonal polymorphs show proton conduction. The proton conductivity is dominant in wet atmospheres below roughly 800 degrees C and the highest proton conductivity of approximately 10(-3) S cm(-1) was found for Ca-doped LaNbO4. These transport characteristics can be used in sensors and fuel cells provided that the electrolyte film thickness is in the micrometre range.