Direct Measurement of Oxygen Mass Transport at the Nanoscale

Tuning oxygen mass transport properties at the nanoscale offers a promising approach for developing high performing energy materials. A number of strategies engineering interfaces with enhanced diffusivity and surface exchange have been proposed. However, origin magnitude such local effects remain largely undisclosed to date due lack direct measurement tools sufficient resolution. In this work, atom probe tomography sub-nanometer resolution is used study on oxygen-isotope exchanged thin films lanthanum chromite. 3D visualization nanoscaled highly conducting incorporation pathways along grain boundaries, reliable quantification kinetic parameters correlative link chemistries, presented. Combined finite element simulations exact nanostructure, isotope exchange-atom allowed quantifying an enhancement in boundary coefficient chromite about 4 3 orders magnitude, respectively, compared bulk. This remarkable increase kinetics interface-dominated material unambiguously attributed conduction highways thanks use powerful technique that can be straightforwardly extended currently inaccessible multiple phenomena.