| Abstract Scope |
The multifuncional properties of ionic ceramics have led to a great deal of applications ranging from memories, materials with runnable and switchable electrical conductivity, sensors and actuators, to technologies for energy storage and conversion applications. The possibilities seem endless, only limited by their processing, formability, and structural integrity. At its core, the presence of defects, including grain boundaries, dislocations, vacancies, and insterstitials has a central role on delivering tailored properties. In this paper, a thermodynamics-based variational formulation will be presented to rationalize the effects of electrical charge, stresses, and thermochemistry (including its couplings) and their effect on the stability and time-dependent behavior of dislocations in ionic ceramics. Applications to Yttria Stabilized Zirconia will be presented, highlighting the electro-chemo-mechanical interactions of point defects on the vicinity of the dislocation core and its impact on the observed non-elastic behavior. Comparisons against experiments will be made. |