Recent Advances in the Understanding of the Evolution of Surfaces and Interfaces in Solid Oxide Cells

In solid oxide electrochemical cells the critical processes of fuel oxidation and oxygen reduction occur at surfaces, and ultimately define the performance of the devices. Understanding how these process occur and the role of defects such as dislocations and grain boundaries in these charge transfer processes, and the effect of cation segregation on surface exchange are all topics of current significance. To address these issues, a suite of advanced analytical techniques are developed to allow in situ analysis of key processes, complementing established ex‐situ techniques. In addition the application of surface sensitive techniques such as surface diffraction and ion scattering spectroscopy, offer unprecedented levels of information on the surface chemistry and structure of functional materials.