Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 February 2011
Mixed ionic electronic conducting perovskite type oxides are promising materials for potential use in various applications such as in fuel cells and membranes for air separation. An important issue in the development of the perovskites is the structural, chemical and mechanical stability of these materials at high temperatures and reducing environments (oxygen partial pressure from 0.21 to 10−17 atm) encountered in membrane reactors. SrFeO3 oxides doped with La on the A-site and Cr on the B-site showed high strength at room temperature in air. The strength degrades rapidly with an increase in temperature in air as compared to in N2 and CO2/CO environment. Fracture in the material is characterized by non-equilibrium segregation of elements within the grains. The observations provide valuable structure-property correlation as applicable to the long-term behavior of the material in advanced catalytic membrane reactors.