Module 3: Defects, Diffusion and Conduction in Ceramics
  Fast Ion Conductors
 

       
       3.12 Fast Ion Conductors

  • Materials showing very high conductivities, several orders of magnitude higher than normal ionic solids

  • Conductivities greater than 10-2 (W-cm)-1 at temperatures much lower than melting points

  • Number of charge carriers is a very large fraction of potentially mobile ions which is significantly larger than in a normal ionic compound hence ion diffusion is solely governed by the diffusion energy and hence defect formation energy need not be provided resulting in overall low activation energy for migration.

  • Intrinsic FICs

    • Halides and Chalcogenides of silver and copper, e.g. - AgI is a silver ion (Ag+ ) conductor

    • Alkali metal conductors such as non-stoichiometric aluminates e.g. β-Al2O3 or Na2O.11Al2O3.

  • Extrinsic FICs

    • Oxides with fluorite structure such as ZrO2 are doped with aliovalent oxides creating a large number of oxygen vacancies and are called as fast ion conductors such as Y2O3.ZrO2. In these materials the enthalpy of migration, ΔHm , can be as low as ~ 0.01-0.2.

    • Table 3.4: Examples of Fast Ion Conducting Ceramics and Conducting Ions
      Material
      Conducting Ions

      Alkali ions