Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
The potential applications of mixed-conducting ceramic oxides include solid-oxide fuel cells, rechargeable batteries, gas sensors and oxygen-permeable membranes. Several perovskite-derived mixed Sr-Fe-Co oxides show not only high electrical-conductivity but also appreciable oxygen-permeability at elevated temperatures. For example, dense ceramic membranes of SrFeCo0.5O3-δ can be used to separate oxygen from air without the need for external electrical circuitry. The separated oxygen can be directly used for the partial oxidation of methane to produce syngas. Quantitative phase analysis of the SrFeCo0.5O3-δ material has revealed that it is predominantly composed of two Sr-Fe-Co-O systems, Sr4Fe6-xCoxO13 and SrFe1−xCoxO3-δ. Here we report preliminary structural findings on the SrFe1−xCoxO3-δ (0 ≤ x ≥ 0.3) system.