Evidence of Oxygen Intercalation and Mobility at Room Temperature in Oxides:  An Electrochemical Quartz Microbalance Study of Intercalation in La₂CuO₄

Abstract

This paper offers direct evidence for the electrochemical intercalation of oxygen in an oxide with the K 2 NiF 4 structure, namely, La 2 CuO 4, at room temperature. Organic solvents, as well as water, allow that reaction to occur. The charge-to-mass ratio evaluated from a comparison with fluoride intercalation implies that either OH - or O δ - species are being intercalated. Comparison with previous work seems to favor the latter. If an oxygen with lower charge is moving, that could indeed explain why oxygen conductivity can be observed at such low temperatures.