Rational design of mixed ionic-electronic conducting membranes for oxygen transport.

The mixed ionic-electronic conducting (MIEC) oxides have generated significant research efforts in the scientific community during the last 40 years. Since then, many MIEC compounds, most of which are based on perovskite oxides, have been synthesized and characterized. These compounds, when heated to high temperatures, form solid ceramic membranes with high oxygen ionic and electrical conductivity. The driving force for oxygen ion transport is the ionic transfer of oxygen from the air as a result of the differential partial pressure of oxygen across the membrane. Electronic and ionic transport in a range of MIEC materials has been studied using the defect theory, particularly when dopants are introduced to the compound of interest. As a result, many types of ionic oxygen transport limits exist, each with a distinct phase shift depending on the temperature and partial pressure of oxygen in use. In combination with theoretical principles, this work attempts to evaluate the research community's major and meaningful achievements in this subject throughout the preceding four decades.