Two calcined products of Li 6.4 Fe 0.2 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 can be synthesized via the solid state method and the sol gel method. Inhomogeneities of the iron distribution in the powder for the solid state method lead to a combination of cubic and tetragonal structure. By using the sol gel method the homogeneity can significantly been increased resulting in the desired pure phase cubic structured powders in I43d. By in situ dilatometer measurements the densification process can be comprehended for the first time for garnet type materials. The density can be significantly increased by the usage of the sol gel synthesis compared to the solid state synthesis with short sintering times of 2 h delivering pure phase pellets for both synthesis methods. Electrical impedance measurements revealed clearly divided semicircles for the bulk and the grain boundary contribution for the solid state synthesis, while the sol gel synthesis showed only one semicircle from the bulk contribution due to a large crystallite size. The total ionic conductivity for the pellet synthesized via the sol gel method is 1.82 mS/cm at 25 • C which is the fastest found so far for garnet type or garnet related materials.

The defect chemistry of perovskite compounds is directly related to the stoichiometry and to the valence states of the transition metal ions. Such relations are of high interest as they offer the possibility to influence the catalytic activity of perovskites for the application in solid-oxide fuel-and electrolyser cells. Combining theoretical and experimental approaches, we explore the feasibility of actively manipulating the valence state of Fe and the concentration of point defects by synthesizing non-stoichiometric LaFeO3 (LFO). In the theoretical part, formation energies and concentrations of point defects were determined as a function of processing conditions by first-principles DFT+U calculations. Based on the DFT+U results, significant compositional deviations from stoichiometric LFO cannot be expected by providing rich or poor conditions of the oxidic precursor compounds (Fe2O3 and La2O3) in a solid-state processing route. In the experimental part, LFO was synthesized with a targeted La-site deficiency. We analyze the resulting phases in detail by X-ray diffraction and dedicated microscopy methods, namely scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and (scanning) transmission electron Microscopy ((S)TEM) in combination with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and electron energy-loss spectrometry (EELS). Instead of a variation of the La/Fe ratio, a mixture of two phases, Fe2O3/LaFeO3, was observed resulting in an invariant charge state of Fe, which is in line with the theoretical results. We discuss our findings with respect to partly differing assumptions made in previously published studies on this material system.

Perovskites of the ABO 3 type, such as LaMnO 3 , can be used as air electrodes in solid oxide fuel cells and electrolyzers. Their properties can be tuned by A- and B-site substitutions. The influence of La substitution by Ca on the oxygen nonstoichiometry has been investigated frequently, but the results depend highly on the synthesis and atmospheric conditions. In this work, a series of La 1– x Ca x MnO 3+δ ( x = 0–0.5) was synthesized using conventional solid-state synthesis under an air atmosphere. The structures of the materials were studied in detail with powder X-ray diffraction. The initial oxygen nonstoichiometries were determined using thermogravimetric reduction. The samples were subsequently analyzed in terms of defect chemistry in dependence of temperature, atmosphere, and Ca content via thermogravimetric analysis. The changes in the manganese charge states were investigated by X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy experiments. The influence of intrinsic and extrinsic effects on the Mn-valence state of the differently Ca-substituted samples as calculated from thermogravimetric analysis and as determined directly from X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy is presented.