Solid State Ionics, Vol.175, No.1-4, 819-822, 2004
Nearly constant loss behavior in gamma-RbAg4I5: microwave conductivity plateau identified
A pronounced nearly constant loss (NCL) contribution to the frequency-dependent conductivity has been detected in the low-temperature gamma-phase of the archetypal crystalline fast ion conductor, rubidium silver iodide. At 113 K, the conductivity spectrum, sigma(v), of gamma-RbAg4I5 has been measured in a wide frequency range extending up to more than 100 GHz. In contrast to the phases alpha and beta, the spectrum cannot be interpreted as a superposition of a high-frequency vibrational part plus a low-frequency dispersive component that reflects the ionic hopping dynamics responsible for macroscopic ionic transport. Rather, an additional NCL component is identified featuring a roughly linear sigma(v) proportional to v behavior within about two decades of frequency. This component is found to merge into saturation at high frequencies and into a sigma(v) proportional to v(2) behavior at low frequencies. It is well reproduced in terms of a model describing highly correlated, strictly localized displacive movements of interacting ions. The model is based on the concept of mismatch and relaxation (CMR). (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords:nearly constant loss;rubidium silver iodide;concept of mismatch and relaxation;frequency-dependent conductivity;MIGRATION concept