FORMATION OF FROZEN ALPHA-AGI IN SUPERIONIC GLASS MATRICES AT AMBIENT-TEMPERATURE BY RAPID QUENCHING

Superionic conducting phase of alpha-AgI, which is thermodynamically stable only above 147-degrees-C, was successfully frozen at ambient temperature in various kinds of glass matrices in the systems AgI-Ag2O-MxOy (MxOy = B2O3, GeO2, P2O5 and MoO3) by a rapid quenching technique. The larger composition regions where alpha-AgI was frozen were observed in the systems with B2O3 and GeO2 than in the systems with P2O5 and MoO3. Since the glasses with B2O3 and GeO2 have higher glass transition temperature than those with P2O5 and MoO3, the former glasses have higher viscosities at 147-degrees-C. The former matrix glasses have stronger effect to depress the alpha-beta-transformation of AgI rather than the latter glasses in the course of rapid quenching of melts.