Ceramic materials for energy and environmental applications: Functionalizing of properties by tailored compositions

Stable social development requires novel approaches for energy production, distribution and storage combined with reasonable restrictions of the environmental impact. The fuel cell-based technologies, as well as the separation of gases from mixtures, particularly implemented into innovative power plant concepts, are therefore in the scientific and political focus. At the very core of these technologies are selected materials from a number of classes ranging from purely organic-and inorganic-based matrices to the precious metals and alloys that all ought to meet well defined operation-relevant conditions and efficiencies. Depending on the targeted application, each material foreseen as a base for component development has to be evaluated individually and its properties have to be modified in terms of corresponding application requirements. In order to elaborate tailored ceramic materials for gas separation and ion/electron transport at the relevant operating conditions and stability ranges, improved electrical or ionic conductivities and permeation rates are required. That can be achieved by doping and substitution which are actors on a nano-scale that usually lead to macroscopic impacts. This chapter is dedicated to the fascinating world of tailoring ceramic materials for energy and environmental applications. Selected approaches to tune ceramics will be discussed to illustrate the versatile effects that compositional variation can have on the macroscopic properties, e.g. the conductivity of protons, oxygen ions and/or electronic carriers, stability, etc. The present chapter will therefore consider the structural features of selected material classes, as well as the principles of transport in bulk and microporous solids. It will furthermore illustrate and discuss the effects of selected additives and substituents on sinterability, electrical/electrochemical properties and stability of selected ceramic materials for energy and environmental applications. The material variety will cover ceramic materials with different crystal structures like fluorites, perovskites, pyrochlores, fergusonites, as well as selected zeolite structures. © 2013 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.