Local Order in Highly-Disordered Ba3NbMoO8.5 Oxide Ion Conductor: Single Crystal Neutron Diffuse Scattering Study

Oxide ion conductors have been a focus of intense research due to their application as electrolytes in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The currently used materials, such as yttria-stabilized zirconia, require temperatures of 800-1000 °C in order to operate efficiently, precluding the widespread deployment of these devices. A wide variety of oxide material classes are being explored in an effort to achieve SOFC electrolytes with competitive ionic conductivity in so-called intermediate temperature range (450-600 °C). In this proposal we request 5 days of SXD beamtime to study structured diffuse scattering in Ba3NbMoO8.5 oxide ion conductor. The aim of the study is to use the shape and positions of the diffuse scattering maxima to build an atomistic model of the disordered structure which will reproduce the experimental scattering, and thus provide a plausible realisation of the true local structure of the material.