New insights in microwave-driven redox transformations (Materials Horizons, 2023)
We are pleased to present the scientific work “Modulating redox properties of solid-state ion-conducting materials using microwave irradiation“, published in October 2023 in Materials Horizons, a Royal Society of Chemistry publication.
The research addresses the industrial demand for efficient, low-carbon technologies by exploring additional significant findings from our laboratory regarding the recently discovered use of microwaves as an effective reducing agent for solid-state ion-conducting materials (SSIMs), holding promise for various applications, including gas depuration, energy storage, and hydrogen generation.
The study examines the dynamics and physicochemical dependencies of microwave-induced redox transformations in materials such as gadolinium-doped ceria (CGO) and yttria-stabilized zirconia (8YSZ). Microwave processing promotes oxygen-vacancy formation and oxygen-surface exchange at significantly lower temperatures than traditional techniques.
This work reveals that the released O2 yield strongly depends on the material’s composition and can be tuned by controlling the gas-environment composition and the intensity of the microwave power. The reduction effect prevails at the grain surface level and, thus, amplifies for fine-grained materials, and this is ascribed to limitations in oxygen-vacancy diffusion across the grain compared to a microwave-enhanced surface evacuation.
These results open up new possibilities for industrial processes that require efficient and sustainable methods for chemical conversions and energy storage. The reproducibility and cyclability of the microwave-induced redox process make it a viable option for scaling up to meet industrial demands.
