Solid state ionics applications in vacuum technology

Abstract

The application of proton and oxygen ion-conducting ceramics to vacuum technology is discussed. The study is an outgrowth of our previous work where it was demonstrated that hydrogen and oxygen gas may conveniently be introduced into vacua using these ceramics. In the present work, a novel water vapor source for vacuum purposes is presented. Various internal gas sources for O2 and H2 are outlined which are based on a storage of these gases in the form of low vapor pressure chemical compounds in hermetically sealed ceramic tubes. Application of voltages to electrodes on the outside and inside of these tubes permits to extract O2 and H2 into the vacuum. Using hermetically sealed tubes of a proton conductor allows one to perform coulometric measurements similar to the coulometric oxygen titration experiments carried out in the last two decades using sealed containers of yttria stabilized zirconia (8YSZ). Finally, a leak detector for vacuum systems is presented which is based on a proton-conducting tube. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.