Solid State Ionics, Vol.111, No.3-4, 307-313, 1998
Structural relaxation in (NH4)(4)LiH3(SO4)(4) superionic single crystals
The results of electric conductivity study both on heating and cooling are presented for (NH4)(4)LiH3(SO4)(4) (ALHS) single crystal. At T-s approximate to 415 K the first order transition to the high conducting phase is observed. The electric conductivity curve sigma(1/T) at the first heating reveals high values of activation energy E both above and below T-s. In the consecutive temperature cycles E is much lower, especially in the high conducting phase, and sigma(1/T) in practice ceases changing after the second heating/cooling cycle. After the first heating run ALHS becomes a superionic conductor and the resulting structure changes originating during the heating, which appear as a mosaic structure in X-ray study, are irreversible. The changes are the probable reason of vanishing of sigma anisotropy after the first heating run.