MIXED CONDUCTING MEMBRANES FOR NOX DECOMPOSITION IN AUTOMOBILE EXHAUSTS

THIS PROPOSED PROGRAM IS DIRECTED TOWARDS THE EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF MIXED IONIC AND ELECTRONIC CONDUCTING MEMBRANES FOR PROMOTING THE ELECTROCHEMICAL CATHODIC DECOMPOSITION OF N0X WITHIN AUTOMOBILE EXHAUSTS. THE APPROACH WILL RELY UPON THE SYSTEMATIC APPLICATION OF PEROVSKITE CATHODE ELECTROCATALYSTS WHICH, WE FEEL, WILL PROVIDE RAPID KINETICS FOR PROMOTING THE ELECTROCHEMICAL REDUCTION OF THE MAJOR N0X COMPONENTS N0 AND N02 AT THESE MEMBRANES. THE SELECTION OF 0(2-) CONDUCTING SOLID ELECTROLYTES AND CLOSELY RELATED MIXED CONDUCTING (0(2-) AND E(-)) MEMBRANES WILL RELY ON RECENT FINDINGS AT ERI WHICH HAVE SHOWN CLEAR RELATIONS BETWEEN E FOR 0(2-) CONDUCTION AND LATTICE PARAMETERS IN THIS CLASS OF PEROVSKITE MATERIAL. AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THIS INSIGHT, WE ANTICIPATE THAT MIXED CONDUCTING MEMBRANES AND ELECTROCATALYSTS WILL BE IDENTIFIED COMPATIBLE WITH 0(2-) MEDIATION WITHIN THEIR BULK AT PRACTICAL RATES AT TEMPERATURES OF 600 DEGREES CENTIGRADE AND BELOW. THIS EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION WILL RESULT IN FABRICATION AND PRELIMINARY CHARACTERIZATION OF MIXED CONDUCTING MEMBRANES POSSESSING THE GENERAL CONFIGURATION: N0X,AR/AA'CU03/DOPED AB03/LA0.9SR0.1MN03,AR FOR PROMOTING N0X REDUCTION. POISONING OF PEROVSKITE CATHODE ELECTROCATALYST SITES BY ADSORBED OXYGEN ORIGINATINGFROM N0X DISSOCIATION WILL BE AVOIDED BY MEDIATION OF 0(2-) AWAY FROM THE REACTION SITE. BY THIS STRATEGY, HIGH CATALYST ACTIVITIES WILL BE MAINTAINED.