FORMATION AND ELECTRICAL-PROPERTIES OF SILVER ANTIMONY OXIDE

Silver antimony oxide (Ag2Sb2O6) having a defect pyrochlore structure has been synthesized by solid-state reaction between silver oxide and either Sb2O3 and Sb2O5. The reaction sequence has been shown by thermogravimetry, interdiffusion measurements on oxide pellets and electrical conductance measurements to involve the reduction of Ag2O, followed by diffusion of silver and oxygen into the antimony oxide component. When the starting material is Sb2O3, initial diffusion of oxygen occurs, forming Sb2O4 into which silver and further oxygen subsequently diffuse. Comparison of the activation energies for diffusion and electrical conductance in the various oxide phases suggests that the rate of Ag2Sb2O6 formation is controlled by the diffusion of oxygen rather than that of silver. © 1979 Akadémiai Kiadó.