Electrochemical Properties of Mixed Conducting Perovskites La1 − x M x Co1 − y Fe y O 3 − δ (M = Sr, Ba, Ca)

Perovskite compositions in the system La{sub 1{minus}x}M{sub x}Co{sub 1{minus}y}Fe{sub y}O{sub 3{minus}{delta}} (M = Sr, Ba, Ca) exhibited high electronic and ionic conductivity. Substantial reversible weight loss was observed at elevated temperatures as the materials became increasingly oxygen deficient. This loss of lattice oxygen at high temperatures, which tended to increase with increasing acceptor content, resulted in a decrease in the electronic conductivity. In an oxygen partial pressure gradient, oxygen flux through dense sintered membranes of these materials was highly dependent on composition and increased with increasing temperature. The increase in oxygen flux with increasing temperature was attributed to increases in the mobility and concentration of lattice oxygen vacancies. The calculated ionic conductivities of some compositions exceeded that of yttria-stabilized zirconia. This material is an attractive candidate for several important applications, including solid oxide fuel cell cathodes.