Application of ionic conductors In 1973, the oil price quadrupled and the world had a sudden awareness of its petroleum dependence. Resources of fossil fuels are decreasing. Complexity of power distribution is increasing. Mobile power system dependences are increasing. Environmental pollution is increasing. Medical assistance is increasing. All of the problems might be (at least partially) solved by using Solid State Ionics (SSI) technologies. Their applications range from small batteries for pacemaker implants, to high power batteries for energy storage systems, electrochromic windows for energy conservation, sensors for chemical pollutant detection, etc...electrochromic Solid-state ionic devices can be used to harness chemical energy to produce electricity in a fuel cell, convert one chemical species to another, separate one chemical species from another, or detect chemical species by producing an electric signal.

Gas sensors Two potentiometric designs have evolved: surface-modified solid electrolyte gas sensors and mixed potential gas sensors. In the former, the surface of a solid electrolyte is coated with an auxiliary phase which will react electrochemically and reversibly with the analyte and generate an interfacial potential. Sensitivity and selectivity to the analyte are provided by the auxiliary phase, e.g., the Na 2 CO 3 /NASICON system can be used for CO 2 sensing This approach allows the use of several conventional ceramic solid electrolytes, including YSZ, β-alumina, or NASICON to construct sensors for many gases especially the environmental gaseous pollutants such as CO 2, CO, NO x, SO x, H 2, Cl 2, and NH 3, etc. An important advantage of this approach is the development of detection methods that survive harsh conditions where typical liquid electrochemical sensors would be inappropriate.Na 2 CO 3 /NASICON In a mixed potential sensor design more than one electrochemical reaction takes place at the electrodes so that a mixed potential is established by competing reactions. The catalytic activity of the electrode material is particularly important, e.g., the Pt/YSZ/Au sensor can measure CO and hydrocarbons due to the difference in catalytic activities between the Pt and Au electrodes.

Oxygen Sensor The cell operates at temperatures 500~1000 ℃, can be used to measure oxygen partial pressure as low as atm yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ)

The main application of oxygen sensors in the gasoline run automobiles is to control the air-to-fuel ratio (λ). The oxygen partial pressure changes abruptly in the vicinity of the stoichiometric mixture of the air and the fuel (λ = 1: air = 14.5 kg; fuel = 1 kg). The figure shows the characteristic sensor output, the λ-curve, for a range of air-fuel mixture in the combustion engine. The emissions of toxic gases such as CO, NO x, and hydrocarbons (HC) depend on the λ point at which the engine functions. In the fuel rich region, the emission of CO and HC dominates and in the lean region, NO x emission is larger. These exhaust gases are converted to non-toxic gases CO 2, N 2, and H 2 O by a three way catalytic converter located in the exhaust system. The O 2 sensor output is fed back to the engine control so that the engine operates between the rich and lean fuel conditions centered around the stoichiometric ratio. Typical response of a commercial ZrO 2 oxygen sensor to change on Air/Fuel of an engine

Pt/YSZ/Nb 2 O 5 sensor, using Nb 2 O 5 and Pt electrodes on tape-cast YSZ. The EMF response of this sensor to different concentrations of propylene (HCs)in air, in the temperature range °C. HCs Sensor

Sensor SO 2 Schematic diagram of a K 2 SO 4 -electrolyte sensor and its observed emf variation in time P SO 2 =1000ppm P SO 2 =100ppm P SO 2 =10ppm days Ag Al 2 O 3 T=790 o C Pt air+SO 2 Pt catalyst Ag V1V1 K 2 SO 4 K 2 SO 4 +1%Ag 2 SO 4 V2V2 V1V1 V1V1 V1V1 V2V2 emf (mV) Ag+Ag 2 SO 4 reference electrode 3.63%Y 2 (SO 4 ) 3 in pure Ag 2 SO 4 Variation of emf with time for swapping of SO 2 concentration from 20to 1000pp Pt mesh Graphite embedding

oxygen generators Ceramic oxygen generators (COG) are receiving the greatest attention for medical and aerospace applications because they can readily produce a pure oxygen gas stream from ambient air. Compact COGs are being developed to provide a continuous supply of oxygen-enriched air for people with breathing disorders. Similarly, these devices can enrich the breathing oxygen concentration for high altitude aircrafts. More recently this technology has sparked the interest of NASA for space exploration. Because of the distance involved, if we are to travel to other planets in the future, we need to utilize available planetary resources. The technology envisioned to make this possible is based on a COG converting CO 2 to O 2 and CO. Experimental results demonstrating the efficacy of this technology are shown by the Faradaic oxygen production from CO 2 /CO gas mixtures. Faradaic production of O 2 from CO/CO 2 gas mixture in a ceramic oxygen generator.

Catalyst

The positively charged hydrogen ions (protons) then pass through the proton exchange membrane to the catalyst on the cathode side, where they react with oxygen and the electrons from the electric circuit to form water vapour (H 2 O) and heat. The electric circuit is used to do work, such as power a motor. Fuel cell- proton conductor Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell The proton exchange membrane is one of the most advanced fuel cell designs. Hydrogen gas under pressure is forced through a catalyst, typically made of platinum, on the anode (negative) side of the fuel cell. At this catalyst, electrons are stripped from the hydrogen atoms and carried by an external electric circuit to the cathode (positive) side.

A solid oxide fuel cell is made up of four layers, three of which are ceramics (hence the name). A single cell consisting of these four layers stacked together is typically only a few millimeters thick. Hundreds of these cells are then connected in series to form what most people refer to as an "SOFC stack". The ceramics used in SOFCs do not become electrically and ionically active until they reach very high temperature and as a consequence the stacks have to run at temperatures ranging from 500 to 1,000 °C. Reduction of oxygen into oxygen ions occurs at the cathode. These ions can then diffuse through the solid oxide electrolyte to the anode where they can electrochemically oxidize the fuel. In this reaction, a water byproduct is given off as well as two electrons. These electrons then flow through an external circuit where they can do work. The cycle then repeats as those electrons enter the cathode material again. Fuel cell- oxygen conductor

Electrochromic smart car window

Electrochromic Properties of Sol-gel Coating of Nb 2 O 5 and Nb 2 O 5 :Li + It can be observed that, close to -1.0 V, there is an increase in the cathodic current associated with Nb 2 O 5 reduction with simultaneous Li + cation insertions. During this process it is observed a change in the optical properties of the films, from transparent to gray color.

As an active material, inserted tungsten trioxide, M x WO 3, is often used in switching applications between very high and very low resistance: low inserted tungsten trioxide is a dielectric while high inserted is a metallic conductor. A more linear dependence between resistivity and insertion was observed in mixed conductors based on some silver salts. They have been used in the design of controllable resistors. Figure shown above gives an example of such an electrochemical device. Variable resistor devices

Biomedical applications of solid state power sources; biofuel cells; and iontophoretic* and related devices used for controlled transdermal** drug delivery and monitoring of physiological parameters. Medical Applications of Solid State Ionics Iontophoresis is a technique using a small electric charge to deliver a medicine or other chemical through the skin. **Transdermal is a route of administration wherein active ingredients are delivered across the skin for systemic distribution. Examples include Transdermal patches used for medicine delivery, and Transdermal implants used for medical or aesthetic purposes.

Biofuel cell

Penny Sized Biofuel Cell