MECHANISMS OF IONIC-CONDUCTION IN SOLID ELECTROLYTES

The mechanisms of ionic conduction in solid electrolytes are best studied by taking conductivity spectra, i.e., by measuring frequency (and temperature) dependent ionic conductivities in the entire range from dc to the far infrared. Experimental conductivity spectra of solid electrolytes display a number of characteristic patterns, which are presented and interpreted in terms of their generic dynamic processes. Only non-vibrational kinds of ionic motion are considered, some of them being strictly localized, others contributing to translational diffusion. In particular, the process of jump relaxation is shown to provide a consistent explanation for the well-known power law of the conductivity.