Elastic strain at interfaces and its influence on ionic conductivity in nanoscaled solid electrolyte thin films—theoretical considerations and experimental studies

Ionic transport in solids parallel to grain or phase boundaries is usually strongly enhanced compared to the bulk. Transport perpendicular to an interface (across an interface) is often much slower. Therefore in modern micro- and nanoscaled devices, a severe influence on the ionic/atomic transport properties can be expected due to the high density of interfaces. Transport processes in boundaries of ionic materials are still not understood on an atomic scale. In most of the studies on ionic materials the interfacial transport properties are explained by the influence of space charge regions. Here we discuss the influence of interfacial strain at semicoherent or coherent heterophase boundaries on ionic transport along these interfaces in ionic materials. A qualitative model is introduced for (untilted and untwisted) hetero phase boundaries. For experimental verification, the interfacial oxygen ionic conductivity of different multilayer systems consisting of cubic ZrO2 stabilised by aliovalent dopands (YSZ, CSZ) and an insulating oxide is investigated as a function of structural mismatch. Recent results on extremely fast ionic conduction in YSZ/SrTiO3 thin film systems (“colossal ionic concuctivity at interfaces”) is discussed from the viewpoint of strain effects.