• The Korean Journal of Ceramics
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.128-135
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• 1998

The paper gives a brief introduction to protonic defects and their chemistry, thermodynamics and transport in oxides. The temperature dependence of the equilibrium concentration of protons is illustrated and compared for different acceptor-doped oxides. The difficulties of saturating as well as emptying the oxides of protons are discussed. In order to illustrate the possibility of lattice relaxation of defects, a conceptual study is made of a case where the enthalpy of dissolution of protons(water) at the cost of oxygen vacancies is assumed dependent on the concentration of vacancies. It is shown how this changes the behavior of hydration curves vs temperature and water vapour pressure. finally, a discussion is given on the water uptake in heavily oxygen deficient oxides; how water uptake may affect order-disorder in the oxygen sublattice and eventually lead to defective, disordered or ordered oxyhydroxides or hydroxides of potential interest as intermediate temperature proton conductions.