Surface composition of solid oxide electrode structures by laterally resolved low energy ion scattering (LEIS)

Low Energy Ion Scattering (LEIS) is a powerful tool to analyse the composition of the very outermost atomic monolayer of a material. However, most studies so far have been conducted on ceramic pellets of the materials of interest. In this work, we apply laterally resolved LEIS analysis to electrochemical cells consisting of micro-patterned arrays of LSCF electrodes on YSZ electrolytes. The results suggest the migration of constituent elements and impurities between the two phases which has the potential to influence device performance.